My name is Steve Brown, and I’m committed to making your voice heard on Capitol Hill. Like you, I want to play an active role in making my community, state and country a safer, better place to raise my children, run my business, and forge a future filled with unlimited promise.
If you share my vision, I urge you to connect with me and help make it happen! Together, we can make a meaningful difference– for our families, our communities, and our country.
* Yesterday, we discussed Gov. Bruce Rauner’s latest front against organized labor, a request made through the Illinois Municipal League that local governments adopt an anti-union resolution. The draft resolution put together by Team Rauner actually covers a little more than that. Here it is…
Resolution in Support of the “Turnaround Agenda” for Local Government Empowerment and Reform
WHEREAS, Illinois state law creates a “one size fits all” approach to collective bargaining for local units of governments. This approach creates added costs which are ultimately passed on to taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, voters and local officials should determine what is a subject of bargaining - not the State; and
WHEREAS, local control of bargaining would allow voters or local governments to determine if certain topics should be excluded from collective bargaining, including contracting, wages, provisions of health insurance, use of employee time, required levels of staffing, procedures and criteria for personnel evaluations; and
WHEREAS, state law sets thresholds for workers on state and local construction projects increasing costs significantly; and
WHEREAS, state law has increased utilization of Project Labor Agreements for construction projects; and
WHEREAS, repealing the Illinois Prevailing Wage Law and the requirements for Project Labor Agreements would allow local governments more control over construction and project costs; and
WHEREAS, more than 280 unfunded mandates have been imposed in recent years on communities across Illinois, costing those communities billions. Rolling back mandates will create more flexibility in local government budgets; and
WHEREAS, Illinois’ workers’ compensation costs are the seventh highest in the nation – and more than double the costs in Indiana; and
WHEREAS, updating how injuries are apportioned to ensure employers pay for injuries that occur on the job, a clarification regarding the definition of “traveling employees” to ensure a reasonable standard that excludes risks that would impact the general public, and implementation of American Medical Association guidelines when determining impairment would result in major cost savings for local governments; and
WHEREAS, voters in our community should be allowed to decide via referendum whether or not employees should be forced to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment; and
WHEREAS, local empowerment zones will help attract jobs and make our community more attractive for businesses; and
WHEREAS, local governments face unfunded liabilities that threaten core services and functions of government. State action on pension reform for future work should provide local governments the ability to address pension reform for future work as well;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the (CITY/TOWN/VILLAGE) of (NAME) endorses major reforms in state government that will encourage local control, reduce costs on local governments, empower local voters, and increase competitiveness in our community.
*** UPDATE *** Mayor Emanuel vows to “oppose every step”…
STATEMENT FROM MAYOR EMANUEL ON GOVERNOR RAUNER’S CALL ON CITIES TO PASS RIGHT TO WORK ZONE RESOLUTIONS
“Governor Rauner is continuing his race to the bottom by asking cities like Chicago to pass ‘Right to Work’ zone resolutions. I will not support – and will oppose every step of the way – any such resolution in Chicago because I believe it directly threatens our strategic goal to strengthen Chicago’s middle class, not undermine it. We should instead be focused on rebuilding our neighborhood infrastructure, public transit, public schools, and public parks to keep growing local jobs. And that’s why I’ve launched an effort to build “Right to Thrive” zones that will protect our workers and provide an array of incentives to help businesses create jobs in struggling neighborhoods throughout our city.
“Competing against Mississippi and Alabama for low wages is not a strategy to build a great city. When companies look for a new home or a place to grow, our competition is the other great cities of the world like New York, London, Beijing, and Tokyo. By building a stronger local economy with good-paying jobs, Chicago will continue to be among those great cities and every resident, from every neighborhood, will benefit.”
I was never more excited than the day I walked into this chamber six years ago. I leave here with sadness and humility.
For those whom I’ve let down, I will work tirelessly to make it up to you. I know that God has a plan for my life. The Good Book tells us that before I formed you in the womb I knew you. I also know that every person faces adversity in life.
Abraham Lincoln held this seat in Congress for one term. But few faced as many defeats in his personal business and public life as he did. His continual perseverance in the face of these trials, never giving up, is something all of us Americans should be inspired by, especially when going through a valley in life.
I believe that through life’s struggles, we learn from our mistakes and we learn more about ourselves. And I know that this is not the end of a story, but rather the beginning of a new chapter.
Thank you for the honor to serve. I look forward to keeping in touch with my friends in this chamber and my friends across the 18th District.
May God continue to bless this awesome institution and the important role that it plays for America and the rest of the world. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
* And speaking of Schock, we talked earlier this week about longtime Schock fundraiser Lisa Wagner’s odd letter to contributors. Here’s the full text…
You have been on my heart and mind this week. While we don’t know each other well, out of the respect for you and all you have done in the past, I wanted to personally reach out to you regarding Aaron Schock.
You personally and generously supported Aaron in the past and were very kind to him. He deceived us all.
I suspect you are feeling like me: sad, angry, cheated….a wide range of feelings, mostly they are filled with total disgust, disbelief and disappointment.
The last time I saw Aaron was February 8, 2015. I have tried to text, email and call, but with zero response.
Right now, I feel like someone we thought we knew really well died.
As a fundraiser and a professional, it is so important when someone is solicited for funds that the entity or organization they give to must be a good steward of the resources donated. The reports about Aaron seemingly lack of respect for the taxpayers’ dollars and the donors’ investment in his campaign are most disturbing and disappointing.
I believe he should be held accountable for his choices….whatever the consequences be…I have no sympathy for the him right now.
I am, however, thanking God and my guardian angels. I worked for Aaron for 4 years, got paid a modest monthly retainer, but received no bonus, no trips, no gifts, no sporting events or rock concerts, not even a Schock t-shirt. Worked my tail off and played by the rules for him. I guess that is why I was kept out of the loop –until he need something - a fundraiser for Rauner, a fundraiser for him, 15M for the NRCC.
As a mom, I am teaching my kids to act with integrity, follow the rules and do their jobs to the best of their ability. So many people here in Illinois and across the country truly believed in Aaron and in his ability to legislate, to be a voice, to lead, to get things done and help people. What has happened is so very sad and disappointing for everyone, but especially for Aaron.
For your reference, I have requested any money anyone donated to him in 2015 be returned. The response I received from the person managing his compliance now is that they legally have to return the 2016 general contributions, but not the primary money. My request is that all of it should be returned.
In addition, I went thru and re-read Aaron’s resignation statement and some of his clips. Nowhere in there did I see any kind of mea culpa or acknowledgement of wrongdoing.
So…for what it is worth….I am truly sorry for the pain Aaron’s situation is causing you, me, his friends, supporters, staff, donors, the voters, those who believed in him - everyone. This whole situation hurts everyone.
IMPACT and the Heartland Alliance Policy and Advocacy team have released two sets of fact sheets for each Illinois legislative district. The fact sheets, which focus on poverty and human services in each district, provide a local-level picture of the current state of, and demonstrate the effect that Governor Rauner’s proposed budget cuts would have on Illinois communities.
* The Question: What new thing(s) did you learn by clicking those above links and looking up your district info? You could also discuss other districts you are familiar with or curious about, and even compare some. Thanks!
Thursday, Mar 26, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Laws passed in the 1960s and 1970s were supposed to protect the environment, but lax enforcement left corporations with little incentive to comply. Ultimately, trial attorneys were the ones who sought justice for communities destroyed by corporate polluters.
More than 50 million U.S. residents live with unhealthy air, despite the passage of the Clean Air Act. As many as 49 million Americans have water supplies that contain levels of arsenic, radioactive substance and coliform bacteria. U.S. corporations produce more than 25 billion pounds of hazardous waste every year. Trial attorneys have worked on behalf of targeted communities to force corporations to be held accountable for the contaminants they have dumped in groundwater, rivers and streams. Trial attorneys have led the fight those who have been injured and sickened by corporate attempts to evade their negligence.
Without the civil justice system, many corporate polluters would never have been held accountable for the disasters they caused. For more information, click here.
U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Fardon of the Northern District of Illinois, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, and Special Agent in Charge Robert Holley of the FBI’s Chicago Division announced today that two Aurora, Illinois, men were arrested Wednesday night for allegedly conspiring to provide material support to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a foreign terrorist organization.
Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds, 22, a U.S. citizen, was arrested without incident at Chicago Midway International Airport by members of the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) while attempting to fly to Cairo, Egypt. Jonas Edmonds, 29, a U.S. citizen, was arrested without incident at his home in Aurora. After the arrests on Wednesday night, agents executed search warrants at the residences of both defendants. The defendants were charged in a criminal complaint filed yesterday in U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois with one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. The initial appearances of Hasan Edmonds and Jonas Edmonds are scheduled at 3:00 p.m. today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila Finnegan.
As alleged in the complaint, in late 2014, Hasan Edmonds came to the attention of the FBI. The investigation subsequently revealed that he and Jonas Edmonds had devised a plan for Hasan Edmonds to travel overseas for the purpose of waging violence on behalf of ISIL. Hasan Edmonds, a current member of the Illinois Army National Guard, planned to use his military training to fight on behalf of ISIL. As part of their plans, Hasan Edmonds booked airline travel to depart yesterday from Chicago and arrive in Cairo today, with layovers in Detroit and Amsterdam.
As alleged in the complaint, both defendants also planned for Jonas Edmonds to carry out an act of terrorism in the United States after Hasan Edmonds departed. In particular, both defendants met with an FBI undercover employee and presented a plan to carry out an armed attack against a U.S. military facility in northern Illinois, an installation where Hasan Edmonds had been training. Jonas Edmonds asked the FBI undercover employee to assist in the attack and explained that they would use Hasan Edmonds’ uniforms and the information he supplied about how to access the installation and target officers for attack.
“We will pursue and prosecute with vigor those who support ISIL and its agenda of ruthless violence,” said U.S. Attorney Fardon. “Anyone who threatens to harm our citizens and allies, whether abroad or here at home, will face the full force of justice.”
“According to the charges filed today, the defendants allegedly conspired to provide material support to ISIL and planned to travel overseas to support the terrorist organization,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “In addition, they plotted to attack members of our military within the United States. Disturbingly, one of the defendants currently wears the same uniform of those they allegedly planned to attack. I want to thank the many agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for disrupting the threat posed by these defendants.”
“The arrests today are the culmination of a successful investigation that involved a great deal of coordination and communication with our law enforcement and military partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Holley. “Throughout the course of this investigation, the defendants were closely and carefully monitored to ensure the safety of the public and our service men and women.”
Conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s JTTF, which is comprised of special agents of the FBI, officers of the Chicago Police Department and representatives from an additional 20 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant Attorney General Carlin joins U.S. Attorney Fardon in extending his appreciation to the JTTF.
The Chicago Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), the Illinois State Police, the Aurora Police Department and the Illinois National Guard also provided significant assistance.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Jonas and John Kness of the Northern District of Illinois, and Trial Attorney Lolita Lukose of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Wow.
In the past, I’ve been a tad bit skeptical of the FBI’s participation in these sorts of sting operations. But considering what happened in Paris not long ago, I’m totally OK with them now. Set ‘em up if you have to, then knock ‘em down.
*** UPDATE *** Governor Bruce Rauner…
“Yesterday, Adjunct General Daniel M. Krumrei and Illinois Public Safety Director Rodger Heaton briefed me regarding the ongoing investigation into an Illinois National Guard soldier, his potential involvement in terrorist activities and the soldier’s impending arrest.
“Last night, I was informed that the Illinois National Guard soldier was arrested for alleged terrorist activities including attempting to join and assist ISIS and conspiring to facilitate other terrorist actions. I commend the Illinois National Guard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for working together closely to apprehend this individual and his associates. On behalf of all citizens of Illinois, I thank all the members of our National Guard as well as the FBI for protecting our state and defending our country. “
…Adding… I read a fascinating piece the other day explaining ISIS better than anything I’ve ever seen. Graeme Wood’s piece in the Atlantic is a must-read today. Click here.
The future of a Lake County charter school is uncertain after a judge this week ruled that a state commission was wrong in giving the school approval to operate for another five years.
The Illinois Charter School Commission’s decision to extend the charter for Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake was “clearly erroneous and is reversed,” Cook County Judge Thomas Allen wrote in his Monday ruling. […]
Prairie Crossing was established in 1999 and has long been a source of controversy. The school’s creation was approved by the state over the opposition of its feeder districts, Woodland Community Consolidated District 50 in Gurnee and Fremont Elementary School District 79 in Mundelein.
Because of the way charter school funding is set up, Prairie Crossing siphoned off about $3.1 million of District 50’s $3.5 million in state funding, said James Petrugaro, attorney for District 50. In a district where 30 percent of students are from low-income families, that money is crucial to providing services for a population with a lower property tax base, the other primary source of school funding, Petrugaro said.
Yet while nearly one-third of District 50’s Woodland’s students are from low-income families, only 1.8 percent of Prairie Crossing students fit that category, Petrugaro said. District 50 has argued that the charter school “has long significantly failed to enroll low-income and other at-risk students in its program,” according to a district news release.
Prairie Crossing Executive Director Geoff Deigan said in a letter to parents that Woodland is trying to close the school in an effort to “miraculously cure years of mismanaged budgets by their administration and their school board.” Deigan said he expects Prairie Crossing will prevail in appellate court.
Yes, we get almost all their state money, but they’re mismanaging their budgets!
Illinois State Charter School Commission members voted 5-4 in favor of renewing Prairie Crossing through the 2018-19 academic year. Commission member Milton Wharton, a retired circuit judge from the East St. Louis area who voted against the renewal, criticized Prairie Crossing at length for the lack of diversity.
Woodland has about 31 percent low-income students compared to Prairie Crossing’s 0.5 percent, according to the state report card.
* Not to mention that Woodland’s Latino student population is 26.6 percent, while Prairie Crossing’s is just 0.5 percent. And check out this statement by the Woodland district…
The money isn’t following the children that Prairie Crossing was created to serve based on Illinois Charter Schools Law, which states that charter schools in Illinois were created with a “special emphasis” on educating at-risk students.
The General Assembly further finds and declares that this Article is enacted for the following purposes:
(1) To improve pupil learning by creating schools with high, rigorous standards for pupil performance.
(2) To increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for at-risk pupils, consistent, however, with an equal commitment to increase learning opportunities for all other groups of pupils in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, marital status, or need for special education services.
* The House passed the Fiscal Year 2015 budget patch on Tuesday. Today, it’s the Senate’s turn…
[Senate President John Cullerton says] they’re still working to get the votes.
“Well, these are cuts to state government. There’s no revenue here … so that’s a cause of concern for some Democrats,” he said.
Still, Cullerton says it’s compromise. One which he says gives Gov. Bruce Rauner less of the flexibility than he’d wanted, but which still lets the Republican finesse planned spending.
Cullerton says he should be able to guarantee the support of ten of the Senate’s 39 members; enough, he says, as long as all 20 Senate Republicans vote “yes,” as did every Republican member of the House (House Democrats were more divided; many suburbanites, particularly those in swing districts, opposed the measures).
“We’re trying to look to see if most, if not all, Republicans support their governor as they did in the House,” Cullerton said. “Since all of their state reps voted for the bill, I would assume that all of the (Senate) Republicans could do the same or close to unanimous.” […]
“These are cuts to state government. There’s no revenue here,” Cullerton said. “That causes concern for some Democrats. I believe it will certainly have at least 10 (Democratic) votes and that will be sufficient if all Republicans vote for it.”
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, has spoken to all of her members about the need for the bill, spokeswoman Patty Schuh said.
“Sen. Radogno is working to get as many votes as possible,” she said. “We have to clean up the fiscal mess we are in right now.”
Thursday, Mar 26, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Exelon has repeatedly claimed their $1.5 billion bailout bill, the so-called “Low Carbon Portfolio Standard,” is actually “a technology-neutral policy that rewards all low carbon resources equally within a competitive market framework.” Is it?
The following exclusions are contained in the legislation:
• No projects “whose costs were being recovered through State-regulated rates as of January 1, 2015” (Exelon’s plants were built with ratepayer funds and paid off long ago)
• No projects with power purchase agreements longer than five years (how most independent projects are built)
• No hydro power larger than three megawatts
• No project unless registered in “Generation Attribute Tracking System”
• Must meet “Minimum Internal Resource Requirements”
Crain’s put it best:
“the bill places such great limits on bidders other than Exelon’s Illinois nukes that Exelon is highly likely to win most if not all of the credits…the nukes by themselves could meet the state’s new standard.” [Crain’s, February 26, 2015 – emphasis added]
Exelon’s $1.5 Billion bailout bill ensures only Exelon will benefit. Or as the Belleville News Democrat said:
“State lawmakers need to see this bill for the dirty trick it is and kill it.”
This poll’s one-sided wording should cause thoughtful observers of all stripes to discount its results. Only on the fair share question are opposing views accurately presented, and there, tellingly, Illinois voters support workers against the governor’s attacks by 60-33.
Ouch.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* We Ask America live interview poll taken March 9 of 500 registered voters. Commissioned by the Illinois Manufacturers Association.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s job approval rating…
Approve 32.67%
Disapprove 33.72%
Undecided 33.61%
* Despite those horrible approval numbers, the poll has some good news for the governor…
Gov. Rauner has been a staunch opponent to the amount of power that labor unions that represent state workers hold. Do you agree or disagree that those public-sector unions are too powerful?
Agree 49.80%
Disagree 38.80%
Undecided 11.40%
In your opinion, should public sector unions be able to make campaign contributions to the elected officials that negotiate their contracts?
Yes 27.80%
No 63.80%
Undecided 8.40%
Gov. Rauner has suggested empowering local voters to make decisions on a variety of issues affecting the economy. I’m going to ask you about several of these proposals to get your opinion. For example, Governor Rauner would allow Illinois communities where unemployment recovery is lagging behind to create local empowerment zones where employees are NOT required to join any union…a system often referred to as “right to work.” Indiana, Michigan and now Wisconsin have right to work laws. Do you think that’s a good idea, or a bad idea to allow economically depressed area in Illinois to have this ability to attract companies by not requiring union membership?
Good idea 59.40%
Bad idea 31.80%
Undecided 8.80%
Today, all union members are required to pay “fair share” union dues that cost about $500 per year. Governor Rauner believes that individual employees should be able to decide whether or not to pay union dues. Labor unions believe that all employees in a union should be required to pay dues since they benefit from collective bargaining agreements. We’d like to know your opinion on that.
All should pay 60.60%
Not all should pay 33.20%
Undecided 6.20%
His labor message is apparently fairly well received, except for the fair share stuff.
* Budget stuff…
According to Gov. Rauner, the State of Illinois has been spending too much money over the past decade and therefore must make drastic across-the-board cuts to the state budget everywhere except education. Do you agree, or disagree that the state has been spending too much money for the last decade?
Agree 79.80%
Disagree 12.60%
Undecided 7.60%
Do you think the State can afford to continue spending at the current rate?
Yes 39.68%
No 41.27%
Undecided 19.05%
Do you think the best way to deal with the budget shortfall is make drastic cuts or raise taxes?
If you believe that taxes should be raised, in your opinion what is the best way to increase revenue?
Sales tax 6.02%
General income tax hike 7.83%
Millionaire tax 60.24%
All of these 12.05%
None of these 10.24%
Undecided 3.61%
Governor Rauner proposed freezing property taxes and allowing local governments to raise property taxes ONLY if approved by voters at a local election. While some taxpayer groups have applauded this approach, school districts and taxing bodies have expressed concern that this will impact their ability to generate revenue. Do you support, or oppose freezing property taxes unless the voters approve an increase?
Support 68.80%
Oppose 22.40%
Undecided 8.80%
* More issues…
We’d like to know if you think that Illinois should do what other states do and pay only standard rates to doctors and hospitals for injured workers.
Yes 76.60%
No 10.80%
Undecided 12.60%
Also on this same subject, unlike other states, Illinois allows workers with pre-existing conditions to claim workers compensation status when they claim that pre-existing condition impedes their current work. Do you think Illinois should–like other states–take into account THE CAUSE of the injury…and not just the fact that the person has a job therefore it gets put into the workers’ comp classification?
Yes 73.20%
No 13.20%
Undecided 13.60%
* And, finally…
Governor Rauner supports terms limits and believes that voters should determine whether Illinois has term limits for elected officials. Do you support or oppose term limits?
Support 81.60%
Oppose 14.20%
Undecided 4.20%
Both the Illinois governor’s office and the General Assembly have been under control of the Democratic Party for more than a decade. What kind of grade would you give the Democrats during that timeframe?
A 5.40%
B 16.40%
C 29.40%
D 20.40%
F 23.40%
Undecided 5.00%
44 percent give the Dems a D or F. Sounds about right, considering.
Thursday, Mar 26, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As a pioneer of Smart Grid technology, ComEd is at the forefront of revolutionary changes that are shaping an environmentally sound and prosperous energy future for Illinois. Just four years into the rollout of innovative Smart Grid technologies, we have helped customers avoid more than 3.3 million power interruptions, improved outage restoration by 30% and created 3,600 jobs.
ComEd’s Energy Plan for Illinois’ Future – HB 3328 / SB 1879 – builds on the strength of the Smart Grid foundation to provide superior solutions for a cleaner and greener Illinois, simultaneously empowering energy consumers, the Illinois economy and enhancing security and resiliency of critical infrastructure.
What’s more, this package of initiatives will have net zero cost among residential customers over the next ten years.
These high value initiatives* include:
• Cost effective Energy Efficiency Expansion
• Equitable Solar Power for the Community
• Jump starting electric vehicle market with large scale deployment of electric vehicle charging stations
• Enhanced security and resiliency for critical infrastructure with Microgrid technology
• More Assistance Dollars for Customers in Need
• Greater access to renewables
• New jobs in Illinois
HB 3328 / SB 1879 reflects the need for continuous improvement in the system at a time when our modern digital economy is increasingly dependent on electricity and greater security. This legislation will meet these important infrastructure challenges. It will enable Illinois utilities to keep planning for the future and deliver even more tangible value today.
Vote Yes for HB/SB1879.
*Initiatives align with published desires of environmental stakeholders.
Shield Political Research, a Democratic opposition research firm with experience researching opponents as well as offering self-research to clients, is pleased to announce the launch of a new service to campaigns and political organizations: self-research on the social media history of potential staffers and other new hires.
The early stages of the 2016 cycle have been filled with stories of what turned out to be short-term campaign hires generating distractions — and embarrassing headlines —with regretful social media posts that were discovered too late, including misogynistic Twitter posts, tweets taking a swipe at early-state voters, and tweets calling officials on both sides of the aisle “idiots,” and worse. […]
Many of the men and women who will staff and lead campaigns this cycle are from a generation in which virtually their entire adult lives —for better or worse —are reflected on social media accounts.
Shield will examine these social media accounts — Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, among other sites —and flag any potential sources of trouble, including questionable photos, comments, tweets, “likes” or followed feeds.
Our methods go beyond simple searching, using triangulation, archived pages and social-web analysis to guarantee we capture a full picture of the staffer’s social media footprint.
The service will employ the same touchstones that mark Shield’s other research products: speed, accuracy and a price that makes it a shrewd investment for national and local campaigns alike.
Shield’s social media reports for staffers will be completed in three days or less, and be protected by a confidentiality clause.
Thursday, Mar 26, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Credit unions are committed to several cooperative principles, including social responsibility. At Staley Credit Union in Decatur, encouraging their members and the community to make steps toward better health is a top priority. Since 2006, the credit union has been a primary sponsor of the annual Penguin in the Park 5K. As a result of the credit union’s staunch support, this important community event has grown from 135 to nearly 1,000 participants.
Now in its 10th year, Penguin in the Park will once again receive more than $3,500 from Staley Credit Union for medals, t-shirts, sports bags, and other items. This event continues to be highly important to the credit union because health statistics in Macon County relative to obesity and physical inactivity exceed comparable data for all other Illinois counties.
Helping the community develop and maintain healthy lifestyles is just one facet of the credit union’s extensive outreach, which also includes awarding college scholarships, financially supporting a wide variety of city and county school athletic programs, post prom parties, and helping to sustain local food pantries. At the heart of the credit union philosophy is the principle of people before profits – and another reason why members are so fiercely loyal.
As Gov. Bruce Rauner considers whether to finally kill off the proposed Illiana expressway, this is a question he might want to get answered:
Why did ex-Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration, amid an all-out rush to stampede the controversial roadway through to final approval last year, commission a secret, $112,000 study of whether Illiana finances would be solid enough to quality for a big federal construction loan?
And why was that study, which apparently came back negative, never released—even now, with everybody in Springfield who knows passing the buck to someone else? […]
n fall 2013, the staff of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, this region’s official gatekeeper for federal transportation cash, concluded that the road, which is supposed to be a public-private partnership, never would pay for itself. That would leave Illinois taxpayers on the hook in a major way.
But Quinn’s Department of Transportation strongly disputed that, saying in part that the project would qualify for a big, low-cost federal loan under the U.S. Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.
* It turns out, though, that Quinn’s administration asked Fitch Ratings to look into whether the project would qualify for the federal infrastructure loan. IDOT finally admitted yesterday that Fitch said the project probably wouldn’t qualify…
“Fitch Ratings did inform IDOT advisers verbally that the financing plan being pursued by the previous administration likely would not receive a favorable rating. As part of its ongoing review of the project with the governor’s office, IDOT continues to explore the potential financial arrangements and risks. The agreement with Fitch Ratings remains open and potentially part of the ongoing review process.”
* Rockford has been hoping that a new Amtrak service could boost its local economy by drawing suburbanites further west. But that project is on hold for now…
Amtrak representative Ray Lang met late Wednesday afternoon with [GOP Rep. John Cabello of Machesney Park] and other members of the House Public Safety Appropriations Committee. Lang told the lawmakers all expansion projects are on hold for the foreseeable future.
“I asked him if Amtrak is coming to Rockford, and he said, ‘No,’” Cabello said. “They are federally and state funded. When their funding goes down, they have to live within their means, unlike us.”
Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey said the issue is not dead.
“To say that Amtrak is dead is misleading. Ray Lang testified the (governor’s) proposed budget would not have enough funding for this year. He testified to something we already knew.
He also added, “The governor proposes the budget. It’s up to the Legislature to pass the budget.”
While Illinois Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, sits on the committee and supports passenger rail, he stands by his claim that funding to bring it back by this year was never in place.
“It was made clear, which we tried warning last year, that Quinn was not honest with the citizens of northern Illinois when he said last year that the project and operations were funded and rail would be running later this year,” Syverson said last month.
A top Amtrak official says Illinois would be on the hook to repay more than a billion dollars in federal aid if service is reduced on the Chicago-St. Louis passenger rail corridor. […]
His comments to a House appropriations panel came as Rauner has proposed a budget for the next fiscal year that would slash the state’s share of Amtrak funding by 40 percent, from its current $42 million per year to $26 million.
Lang said if service cannot be reduced on the Chicago-St. Louis route because of the federal payback issue, service would have to be cut on other routes. […]
Lang’s statements run counter to Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Guy Tridgell’s comment to the Lee Enterprises Springfield bureau on Tuesday.
“The state’s financial support for Amtrak’s annual operations is independent of any construction work that’s ongoing or has already taken place,” Tridgell had said in an email.
Population growth in the Chicago area ground to a near halt, as even the limited momentum the area experienced during the Great Recession has dissipated.
According to figures being released this morning by the U.S. Census Bureau, the metropolitan area, which takes in portions of Illinois, southeast Wisconsin and northwest Indiana, gained an estimated 9,802 residents in the 12 months that ended June 30. That means births and immigration into the region barely exceeded the number of people who died or moved out.
That 9,802 figure—to a new total of 9,554,598—amounted to an increase of less than .1 percent. Within the Illinois portion, the increase was only 4,735, under .07 percent.
Earlier in the decade, estimates suggested that bad economic times might be keeping some people here who otherwise would have moved to other regions of the country. Now, with an economic recovery under way, outmigration appears to have picked up.
* “When I’m With You” by the London Souls popped up on the radio while I was driving to the Statehouse yesterday. As I listened and smiled and danced in my seat I thought about all of you and how I so thoroughly enjoy spending time with you every day. Today is my birthday and I’ve been thinking lately how amazingly blessed my life is right now. You’re a big part of that and I just wanted to thank you…
Access to the north entrance of the state Capitol is being restricted after concerns were raised about the structural integrity of brickwork supporting the entryway.
Secretary of State spokesman Henry Haupt said workers recently noticed some flaking underneath the brickwork supporting the north entryway.
“We had a structural engineer look at that brickwork beneath the entrance way and he determined it needed to be shored up and fortified,” Haupt said. “He’s putting together a plan to proceed. In the meantime, he recommended to err on the side of caution, that large groups of individuals, particularly just standing on that north porch, was not a good idea.”
Haupt said the office was told there isn’t a danger of collapse, but was advised that large groups of people should not be allowed to stand on the north porch.
Consequently, the north entrance will be limited to lawmakers, staffers, lobbyists and others who are issued ID badges by the secretary of state’s office. They are allowed to enter the building without passing through metal detectors.
There’s gotta be a good joke in there somewhere. I’ll leave it to you…
* They’re borrowing to make debt service payments? Uh-oh…
Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the rating on Zion Park District, IL’s general obligation (GO) debt to Ba1 from Baa3 and the rating on the district’s general obligation limited tax (GOLT) debt certificates to Ba2 from Ba1. The Ba1 rating applies to $1.9 million in outstanding general obligation (GO) alternate revenue debt and $540,000 in GOLT debt service extension base (DSEB) debt. The Ba2 rating applies to $400,000 in outstanding GOLT debt certificates.
The outlook is negative.
SUMMARY RATING RATIONALE
The Ba1 rating reflects the district’s rapidly declining tax base; limited revenue raising ability as the district is operating at property tax rate caps in almost all of its major operating funds, and narrow Operating Fund cash reserves. Also incorporated in the rating is the district’s reliance regular borrowing to support debt service payments on outstanding debt, including plans to fully leverage its debt service extension base (DSEB) to support GO alternative revenue source debt service.
The district’s Ba2 debt certificate rating reflects the lack of a dedicated property tax levy for repayment of debt service, along with the
district’s narrow liquidity position.
OUTLOOK
The negative outlook reflects our expectation that the district’s finances will remain limited, requiring regular borrowing to pay debt service
on existing debt, as well as expectations for continued, material tax base declines.
WHAT COULD MAKE THE RATING GO UP (or remove the negative outlook)
-Stabilization or growth in the district’s property tax base
-Growth in overall liquidity supported by balanced operations
-Formalized planning toward and the attainment of self supporting enterprises
-Discontinuation of the practice of borrowing to support recurring debt service on outstanding debt
WHAT COULD MAKE THE RATING GO DOWN
-Further deterioration in property tax base valuations
-Recreation Fund tax rate hitting property tax rate cap
-Erosion of operating liquidity
-Increased Enterprise Fund dependency on the General Fund
The district’s last Moody’s downgrade from exactly one year ago is here.
* We have probably discussed this before, but not as a stand-alone topic. Just one more example of why Gov. Rauner’s proposed budget (like so many budgets before him) is so phony. From CoGFA…
The Governor has requested that a total of $2.025 billion be appropriated for the State Employees’ Group Health and Life Insurance program for FY 2016. The requested FY 2015 appropriation request for the Group Health Insurance Program was $2.790 billion. […]
CMS estimates the FY 2016 liability to be $2.777 billion, a 6.8% increase from FY 2015. The CGFA FY 2016 estimate of liability is $2.803 billion, $25.9 million more than CMS.
So, the estimated liability is $2.8 billion and the requested approp is $2 billion, leaving $800 million in unpaid costs.
Currently, for the Quality Care Health Plan (CIGNA), the delay for preferred providers and non-preferred providers is 273 and 350 days. In FY 2016, the cycle is expected to be extended significantly… CMS has calculated the amount of time it takes to make payments to managed care providers (HMOs and OAPs) at approximately seven months, which is expected to increase to 14 months in FY 2016… PPO claims would be held up to 360 days in FY 2016, above the 273 days utilized in FY 2015. Out-of-network PPO claims would rise from 350 days currently to 380 in FY 2016.
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Recently, ads on Capitol Fax have distorted the facts about the Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (SB 1585). Let’s set the record straight.
Myth:“Exelon is profitable, so they don’t need more money to keep these plants open.”
Fact: Much like a retail business with multiple stores, every location has to make money on its own. No retail chain could survive for long using profitable stores to keep unprofitable ones open. Exelon would not operate Plant A at a loss simply because Plant B is earning a profit.
The fact is, three of Illinois’ six nuclear plants are at risk of closing, and the consequences of these closures are catastrophic:
• $1.8 billion every year in lost economic activity
• Nearly 8,000 highly skilled jobs
• Up to $500 million annually in higher energy costs statewide, according to a PJM analysis
• $1.1 billion per year due to increases in carbon and other pollutants
• Hundreds of millions of dollars to construct new transmission lines
Only one legislative solution, the Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (LCPS), properly values all low-carbon sources of energy, including the state’s nuclear facilities.
According to a State of Illinois report, the cost to Illinois of allowing nuclear plants to prematurely retire are as much as 12 times greater than the maximum cost of the Illinois LCPS.
MEMBERS OF THE ILLINOIS SENATE ENERGY AND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE:
VOTE YES ON THE LOW CARBON PORTFOLIO STANDARD (SB 1585)
Creates the Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act. Defines terms. Provides procedures and requirements for the access and control by guardians, executors, agents, and other fiduciaries to the digital assets of persons who are deceased, under a legal disability, or subject to the terms of a trust.
The idea is to create a legal structure for taking over somebody’s online accounts and other “digital assets” when they pass away or become incapacitated. But there could be some big privacy problems with this idea. Your executor would have complete access to all your stuff, even if you didn’t officially appoint an executor, or your court-appointed guardian in the case of incapacitation. And there are some unintended consequences as well. What if a woman is incapacitated by her abusive husband, who then gets access to all her private info?
* From Dan Sachs, Facebook associate manager of state policy…
“The people that use our service should be able to control who has access to their digital archives, particularly their private communications, upon their death – not legislators and not a fiduciary that a person did not affirmatively select. There are many Illinoisans with online accounts. This bill would effectively ignore the wishes of all of those people when they die, set aside decades of settled law, and override the innovative tools and options companies provide to protect those accounts.”
Facebook offers a “Legacy Contact” function which allows users to select someone to manage their account after they pass on – or to decide if they’d like to have their account deleted upon verification of their death.
* From Bill Ashworth, Senior Legal DIrector, Public Policy, Yahoo…
“At Yahoo, we take our users’ privacy seriously. That’s why we’re concerned with the draft legislation currently before the Illinois State House of Representatives (HB 4131) which, if approved, would automatically–and without permission–give access to the online lives of our Illinois users to their fiduciary at the time of their death. Each of our users should decide when and how they share their personal emails, messages and photos. We believe that account holders and individuals—not legislators—should determine what happens to a person’s digital archives at the time of their death.”
* Companies almost never welcome these sorts of intrusions. But what about all the other online services one might have? A well-written statute would give us a uniform standard. Not saying that these bills are well-written, just sayin.
I personally haven’t set up any mechanism to give anyone authority to access my website, e-mail accounts, Facebook, Twitter, ScribbleLive, mobile phone, fax and e-mail distribution services, my computer password or even (come to think of it) my electronic gun safe passcode.
I really need to get that done soon. Not that I’m planning on going anywhere any time soon, mind you, just that stuff happens in life.
Anyway, to the bill…
* The Question: Regardless of how you feel about the particulars of this legislation, should there be a state law to determine a process for passing along digital assets when one dies or is incapacitated? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* Erickson reports that Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration asked the Illinois Municipal League to send an unusual e-mail to its members…
In an email to mayors across the state, the head of the lobbying organization for municipalities said Rauner has asked for city councils to consider a resolution asking the state to allow local right to work zones, as well as changes to prevailing wage laws and worker compensation laws.
“Voters in our community should be allowed to decide via referendum whether or not employees should be forces to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment.”
Also included in the sample resolution sent to more than 1,000 cities and villages is a question about right to work zones.
“Local control of bargaining would allow voters or local governments to determine if certain topics should be excluded from collective bargaining, including contracting, wages, provisions of health insurance.”
The governor’s office claims that there is no quid pro quo here, meaning that they won’t take into account how many municipalities pass their resolution when deciding how much to ding the locals in the ongoing budget process. As you already know, the governor wanted to sweep a ton of state revenue sharing money this fiscal year, but was blocked by the Senate Democrats. He’s also proposed a big sweep for next fiscal year.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders appear on track to resolve an immediate $1.6 billion deficit and avoid running out of money for prison guards and day care programs, though there’s no guarantee the rare show of bipartisan cooperation will hold up when the stakes get higher over a new budget in just a few weeks.
The fast-moving, short-term budget fix also put on public display the new political dynamic at the Capitol.
For more than a decade, Democrats controlled the legislature and the governor’s mansion, so Republicans were able to vote against budget measures without political repercussions while Democrats had to take tough votes. On Tuesday, Republicans in the House had to do much of the heavy lifting to support their rookie Republican governor, and Democrats had more political freedom to vote no. […]
Rauner would be given discretion to use a $97 million pot of money to help school districts that might be harmed by the cuts that come in the middle of the school year. He’ll also have access to another $90 million to help plug unforeseen budget problems that might arise.
The governor wanted complete discretion to make the cuts and transfers himself. He ended up with considerably less authority, but it’s a far better plan because legislators were not given a free pass.
“The (plan is) evidence of our discussions with the House and governor’s office as it relates to education, health care and local government funding,” said Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago. “Cullerton will be meeting with his caucus to measure support for passage.”
Two bills implementing the plan passed the House on votes of 69-48 and 72-45 on Tuesday. All House Republicans voted for the legislation except for Rep. Joe Sosnowski of Rockford, who was absent. All of the “no” votes on both bills came from Democrats. […]
Some parts of the budget will not be reduced. Pensions, state employee health care and programs to aid the mentally ill, developmentally disabled and autistic children will escape cuts.
Likewise, some of the special state funds will be left intact, particularly the local government distributive fund that channels state income tax money to cities and other local governments.
“This is not a perfect bill. It’s not a perfect solution. Some might say it’s not pretty but it responds to the governor’s request. It responds to the problem. It ought to be supported,” Madigan said.
Heather Steans, a Democrat and appropriations chair, expressed optimism that it could pass with fewer than half of Democrats supporting it and most Republicans.
Senate Democrats had resisted for weeks Rauner’s request for authority to move what he calls “nonessential” funds, fearing that he would take the money from programs Democrats support. The money is desperately needed to avoid child care, prisons and court reporter programs running out of money.
The Senate could take the proposals up Thursday, the final day before lawmakers take a two week Easter recess. […]
The moves will allow Rauner to divert as much as $350 million from the fund that pays for downstate road construction projects. […]
Although the measure moved out of the House on a bipartisan vote it still faces hurdles in the Senate.
The Laborers International Union, for example, called on lawmakers to be wary of taking money out of the road construction fund.
“Projects — and the jobs they create — will be dropped either now or in years to come as a result of a road fund sweep,” noted a letter from the union to lawmakers.
* House Speaker Michael Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown endured a heart-rending tragedy last year. He writes about it today in the St. Louis Beacon…
About four months before the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, police less than 15 miles down I-70 in St. Charles shot another man named Brown. The event barely drew any attention from anyone except immediate family and friends.
The man killed was Martin Brown; Martin Brown is my brother.
St. Charles police were called to his home on Clark Court about 9 p.m. on April 16. One call came from his wife, and she said he needed a mental health evaluation. Another caller said the man was shooting fireworks and disturbing the neighbors. Police were told there were no weapons in the St. Charles man’s house. The fireworks complainant said, however, that the Brown had a “belligerent attitude and was pointing what looked like a large pistol.”
Within seven minutes of their arrival on the scene, one officer fired a failed Taser. Another repeatedly told Brown to drop the object in his hand and did not attempt a Taser shot. A third officer issued the same command, but did not fire a Taser. Less than three minutes after arriving on the scene, he had fired his SigSauer P226 nine times, and he was on the radio requesting an ambulance.
Martin Brown, 52, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Martin Brown was a brother, husband, father and grandfather. He had series of health problems in recent years. He had been drinking before the shooting. The medical examiner’s autopsy showed a blood alcohol level of 2.0, but no evidence of other drugs. St. Charles Police provided no records or reports of additional police incidents involving Brown.
* Brown also sent an accompanying note with his e-mail today…
Some of you know this story. Some do not.
A few months ago it was suggested this story might contribute to the efforts to help reform the use of lethal force. A version of this article is now part of the official record of the Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Policing. The following was published this morning by St. Louis Public Radio/St. Louis Beacon.
I think it is appropriate for you to have a little heads up. I am not certain how much attention, if any, it might draw. Several lawyers have reviewed the incident and determined there are not grounds for action. I am not sure Marty’s immediate family has reached the same conclusion.
I can only hope it might spur broader use of body cameras and more importantly better awareness by police on how to deal with incidents involving persons with health issues.
Police have a tough job, but they also have total control of lethal force . The combined elements create responsibility that must be treated very seriously.
Rep. Aaron Schock’s longtime fundraiser sent an email to the Illinois Republican’s donors, saying she feels “sad, angry, cheated” and filled with “total disgust, disbelief and disappointment” at the congressman’s alleged misspending of taxpayer and campaign dollars.
Lisa Wagner is an Illinois-based GOP fundraiser who worked for Schock for the past four years, helping to catapult him to the top tier of the Republican money world.
Wagner’s email offers a window into the sudden fallout and acute anger in Schock’s world from the scandal that brought down the fourth-term congressman, who announced his resignation last week effective March 31. Schock is now under investigation by the Justice Department. Schock aides have been called to testify before a federal grand jury next month in Springfield, Illinois.
“You personally and generously supported Aaron in the past and were very kind to him,” Wagner wrote in an email, obtained by POLITICO. “He deceived us all.” […]
“I believe he should be held accountable for his choices…. whatever the consequences [may] be…I have no sympathy for the him right now,” she wrote.
Go read the whole thing. To some folks I’ve talked with, her letter almost seemed like a note to the G that she was completely innocent. Others, however, saw it as a perhaps unintentional likely dangerous beacon for the feds. And to others, it appeared to be a way of shoring up her place in Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign.
I talked with Wagner on Monday. She called me about my own subscriber commentary on Schock and said writing her letter was “therapeutic” for her. She was genuinely saddened by this turn of events and seemed to be quite concerned about him. But she long ago went out of her way to alienate candidate Bruce Rauner when Schock was considering a gubernatorial bid, so she is most definitely out of favor these days.
By the way, she also told Politico that she’d since spoken with Schock and “started to separate the sin from the sinner.”
* Meanwhile, from a Jil Tracy press release…
“There have been reports that I am running for Congress in the 18th District, that I am not running, or that I am seeking a different office. All of that is flattering and I appreciate all of the encouragement and pledges of support. My career spans private business, legal practice, and public service, and I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve. I loved my time in the legislature and I miss working on solutions to serious problems and finding ways to make living in this country better for people who want to raise a family, build a career, and enjoy the freedom and opportunities that have made our country, and our state, great.
“To clarify, I am exploring the possibility of running but I believe that making any formal announcement is premature. I will continue my discussions and exploring the practicality of running until Governor Rauner announces the timetable for the special election. At that time I will take a final look at the electoral numbers, cost, and logistical realities of running and will then make a public announcement about what I intend to do.
Whether I decide to run, or to support another candidate and look for a different way to serve, I will continue doing my best to make sure that our region continues to be a place where we fight government overreach and wasteful spending, embrace fiscal responsibility, support the family, promote education, agribusiness, and commerce, and are unwavering in defense of our constitutional rights.”
* And from Ed Brady…
“I am looking at this race very seriously and will not make a final decision on becoming a candidate until Governor Rauner announces the timeline for the special primary and general elections. It appears I could be the only viable candidate in the race who is outside the political system.
“Washington needs someone with common-sense business experience, with conservative values and with practical experience working with issues that impact our district. We need pro-business legislation and less government regulation to help create jobs, stabilize employment and improve our economy in Illinois and the 18th District.
“I believe I could bring that perspective to Congress. I am continuing to assess the race and reach out throughout the district. Once Governor Rauner issues the election schedule, my wife, family and I, along with advice from my political allies, will decide whether running is the right thing for me to do at this time.
“It has been reassuring, when making calls throughout the district, that the voters have an open mind to someone new. I look forward to listening to their challenges and working toward solutions as we work for a better district, state and country.”
Rep. Dan Brady told me much the same thing yesterday.
The governor can’t formally set the election dates until Schock officially leaves office at the end of the month. Stay tuned.
Kent Gray didn’t join the formal press conference at Saturday’s dinner, but said he’s also considering Schock’s seat. Gray said that as a Lincoln Land trustee, he represents seven on the 19 counties in the 18th Congressional District. He also remarked that 22 years ago he worked for Bob Michel, a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“I think if you talk to all the Republicans who end getting in this race, we’re gong to be very similar on our positions on pretty much everything,” Gray said. “My issues basically are government waste, cutting taxes and trying to get a hand on spending.”
Gray also said he’s focused on agriculture and free trade issues.
* These B2B fights are never easy, but the Tribune has a solid story today about a legislative hearing on prohibiting floor prices for contact lenses and whether to prohibit lens manufacturers from refusing to sell to retailers which fail to comply with manufacturers’ demands…
Contact lens manufacturers began instituting price minimums more than a year ago, arguing that they would lower prices for consumers and encourage them to work with their eye doctors to find the right fit. But opponents say the price floors bar retailers from offering discounts on the products.
According to the article, just four manufacturing companies control 97 percent of sales.
Low-cost outlets such as Costco, Wal-Mart and 1-800-Contacts say nonnegotiable, minimum prices prevent retailers from selling lenses as cheaply as they’d like and, in some cases, drive up prices.
For example, a 30-day supply of Johnson & Johnson’s daily Acuvue Moist lenses that in 2014 cost $21.88 at Sam’s Club now sells for $33. At 1-800-Contacts, the same box cost $29.99 last year. This year it’s $33.00, according to data provided by 1-800-Contacts.
Eric Anderson of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, said many industries have pricing policies in place. Manufacturers of durable goods — refrigerators and coffee makers, for example — often set minimum prices so higher-end stores can compete with Amazon and Wal-Mart.
“If they don’t have a pricing policy for electronics, retailers will just stop selling the product,” Anderson said. “As a consumer, if you want to go see a television before you buy it — good luck. You won’t be able to go to Best Buy and see a television.”
Wisconsin and Virginia have begun conversations about privatizing flagship public universities. Now, Illinois is about to have the discussion. Bloomington Republican State Senator Bill Brady has introduced a bill to privatize Illinois’ public universities over six years. […]
Brady says he doubts he’ll call his bill this year but wants public debate on the measure.
“What is really the genesis of this bill is that when I was the Republican nominee for governor, I obviously spent time with university presidents, public and private, and really found two things that we’re really trying to solve here,” he said. “One is that the public universities told me how burdened they were by regulations from the Legislature, as compared to their private counterparts. My personal position is that we really ought to look at this because it may be the only way some of our universities thrive. I’m not saying survive, but thrive. We need to give them tools that would allow them to do a lot of things they just aren’t equipped to do now. […]
“It’s a discussion. A lot of people would probably be afraid to talk about what I’m suggesting here,” said Brady, a 22-year member of the General Assembly and graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. “And my point is that someone’s got to be willing to say, ‘Let’s talk about it. Is there a way that this can be a win-win?’
“I’d like to elevate the discussion and what I’d like to find out is: How much do the regulations on the state universities weigh on those universities? Are they worth it? When we invest money in grants to Illinois residents, how do we hold them accountable? And is this a way that some of our universities that aren’t necessarily thriving — and by that, I believe they’re losing enrollment — do they need their own private board eventually and maybe they can raise more outside private money. And so that’s what this is all about.” […]
“I don’t pretend that my bill is the answer. I think it elevates the discussion. It could be the answer. I didn’t draft it with the idea that it didn’t make sense,” said Brady, whose Senate district includes part of Normal, the home of Illinois State University. “Having represented a campus for almost 20 years, I think I know a lot about what goes on in higher ed, so I think I bring a background in this. But I’m not suggesting that this answers every question that needs to be answered.”
Lucky for us, we can have a “discussion” right here.
* The Question: Should the state consider privatizing any of its universities? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Tuesday, Mar 24, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
My name is Wendy Warmowski. My son, Jacob, was a perfectly healthy, happy toddler until several medical errors changed his life forever.
Jacob was diagnosed with an ear infection and given antibiotics. When his antibiotic was nearly finished he took a turn for the worse. We eventually ended up in the ER.
At the ER, Jacob should have had immediate attention and care, but instead we waited. Jacob was eventually diagnosed with strep pneumomeningitis. The doctors ordered antibiotics to be given immediately, but instead we waited again. Because of the delay in treating Jacob he had 6 strokes, fell into a coma and had to have a tube placed down his throat to help him breath. The doctors told me Jacob might not ever wake up from the coma or come off of the ventilator.
Today, Jacob continues to have physical and mental issues. He has vision problems, balance difficulties, attention issues and epilepsy. He has to have special schooling and goes to occupational, physical and speech therapy several times a week.
The civil justice system allowed our family to hold the doctors responsible for their errors and delays that resulted in Jacob’s brain injury. Our settlement allows us to give Jacob the best care he could have so that he can live the best life he can. Trust me; I’d return it all to have that happy, perfectly healthy toddler back.
The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association fights to ensure all citizens get equal footing in the courtroom. To read more about Jacob’s story, click here.
Unions contend that Rauner is deliberately choking their resources in an attempt to weaken their position as they head into negotiations for a new employment contract, which is supposed to take effect July 1.
The Illinois AFL-CIO is the lead plaintiff in most of the cases, so they’re handling the money end. But AFSCME is named in the governor’s federal case and it has long had the Chicago firm of Cornfield & Feldman on retainer. They’re probably not cheap.
But an AFSCME spokesman avoided talking about short-term union finances today and focused instead on the long term, saying, in part, “The array of Rauner attacks seems clearly intended to wipe out the labor movement in Illinois, and not just in the public sector… Everybody understands what this is really about.”
* Meanwhile, the Illinois Policy Institute has become an issue in a Chicago aldermanic race. From a press release…
Alderman Mary O’Connor of the 41st Ward called on her opponent Anthony Napolitano to return campaign contributions from a right-wing, “dark money” organization with ties to the Illinois Policy Institute. Today, the Liberty Justice Center, an IPI backed law firm, filed a motion in court to bust unions in Illinois through the denial of collecting “fair share” dues. Napolitano has received thousands of dollars from the IPI’s sister organization, the Illinois Opportunity Project.
“41st ward families are sick and tired of the never-ending assault on unions who give working people a collective voice, and they deserve better than a candidate who takes money from the right-wing organizations pushing that very agenda. Anthony should immediately return the money he received from the extremist groups supporting his campaign, and denounce their union-busting efforts. They have no place in the 41st ward,” said O’Connor.
O’Connor, who was endorsed by the Chicago Federation of Labor, has fought for working people as Alderman the past four years in office through policies such as water and sewer reconstruction, a program that has put numerous union members to work rebuilding Chicago’s aging infrastructure. Her efforts have earned her the support of 9 labor organizations in her campaign for reelection.
Napolitano has taken thousands of dollars from organizations tied to the anti-union efforts of the Illinois Policy Institute and the Rauner administration.
* The totals aren’t much, just $3k from the Policy Institute’s political arm and $1k from the 43rd Ward GOP…
43rd Ward Republican Committeeman Chris Cleveland: “If Bruce Wins This Election, Then We Republicans Will Have a Mandate, A Very Big One, To Take on the Unions.” According to post by Chris Cleveland on 43rdwardrepublicans.com, “Bruce Rauner has made standing up to government unions the centerpiece of his campaign. He’ll follow through on it. And that, in my opinion, makes him the right choice for governor. I like Bill Brady, really I do. But now, a week out, neither he nor Dan Rutherford are serious contenders for the nomination. It’s time to make a choice, Rauner or Dillard. It’s an easy one. If Bruce wins this election, then we Republicans will have a mandate, a very big one, to take on the unions. We can go after them on the pension problem they created. We can go after them on failing schools. We can go after them on wild overspending. We can go after them on corruption. Imagine having a mandate, here in Illinois, to do what Scott Walker did in Wisconsin. Bruce will have it. The Rauner campaign didn’t write this. I did. And I mean it. Seriously, if you haven’t yet voted, please vote for Bruce Rauner. It’s time.”
* Despite that, Napolitano is getting even bigger bucks from firefighters and police unions.
In recent weeks, Gov. Bruce Rauner of Illinois has traveled the state promoting his proposal for more than $2 billion in cuts to pensions for public employees. All public employees, that is, except police officers and firefighters.
“Those who put their lives on the line in service to our state deserve to be treated differently,” Mr. Rauner said in his February budget address to the state legislature.
By announcing the exemption, Mr. Rauner was following the lead of other Republican governors in the Midwest who have imposed unwelcome changes on state and local employees in the name of saving money and improving services.
In 2011, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin introduced a bill that would roll back collective bargaining rights for government workers and require them to contribute more toward their own pensions and health coverage. He excluded police officers and firefighters from the legislation, known as Act 10, which he signed the following month.
On the state level, the first responder unions are not falling for the rhetoric. But this Chicago thing is an interesting little twist.
Rauner told WAND’s Doug Wolfe on Monday cities can offset the losses if a series of his reforms are enacted by the Illinois legislature. Among those would be giving municipalities more control over negotiating with police and fire unions. And, giving cities more control over police and fire pensions.
“If local governments can control what gets collectively bargained, who has to join a union or not in the local government, that frees up a significant amount of money as well,” Rauner stated. “They (police & fire) work for the local taxpayers, the local citizens. And there should be more control, local control of those pension issues.”
The commenter notes…
So just like right to work, he isn’t for it, but leave it up to someone else to do the dirty work.
Tuesday, Mar 24, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (LCPS) (SB 1585) is good for Illinois consumers, our economy, our environment, and the reliability of our electric system. The LCPS is a WIN-WIN for all of Illinois’ low carbon sources of energy, which include wind, solar and existing nuclear facilities.
Unfortunately, energy policies of the past have failed to properly value Illinois’ nuclear facilities for the economic, reliability and environmental benefits they provide, and as a result, some nuclear facilities may close. If that happens, the consequences for consumers and communities all across the State of Illinois would be catastrophic:
• $1.8 billion every year in lost economic activity
• Nearly 8,000 highly skilled jobs
• Up to $500 million annually in higher energy costs statewide, according to a PJM analysis
• $1.1 billion per year due to increases in carbon and other pollutants
• Hundreds of millions of dollars to construct new transmission lines
In fact, the cost to Illinois of allowing nuclear plants to prematurely retire are as much as 12 times greater than the maximum cost of the LCPS, when fully considering increased wholesale power prices, transmission costs, adverse economic impacts, and adverse environmental impacts, according to a State of Illinois report.
MEMBERS OF THE ILLINOIS SENATE ENERGY AND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE:
VOTE YES ON THE LOW CARBON PORTFOLIO STANDARD (SB 1585)
“The unions are clearly attempting to avoid allowing the federal courts to decide this issue, but the governor’s lawsuit continues in the Northern District, where it was encouraging to see state employees file today to intervene in support of their First Amendment rights.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday ordered a clout-heavy Chicago TV and movie studio to give back a $10 million state grant that his predecessor, Pat Quinn, had awarded to the studio’s owners to buy land that isn’t for sale.
The Rauner administration’s action came one day after the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that owners of six of the seven properties listed in the grant say they have no plans to sell their land to Cinespace Chicago Film Studios or anybody else. There’s no indication the seventh property is for sale, either.
Quinn’s administration, the Sun-Times also found, awarded the $10 million without any appraisals to justify the projected purchase prices listed by the studio’s owners.
Additionally, the former governor’s Department of Commerce and Economic opportunity had nothing to show that Cinespace had pending contracts to buy any of the properties — or even had been in negotiations to buy them, according to documents obtained under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
The former [Pat Quinn] aide, speaking only on the condition of anonymity, notes that the $10 million grant expires on June 30 and that Cinespace would have to repay any of the money it hasn’t spent.
The aide says it’s common practice for the state to write lump-sum grant checks to businesses like Cinespace that bring jobs to Illinois — particularly when the grants involve buying land.
“To get these deals done, you have to have liquidity,” the aide says. “There was quite a bit of due diligence and discussion, which is totally in keeping with these types of grants.” […]
Under the grant, Cinespace is required to put in twice as much of its own money as it spends from the state grant. That’s to go toward land acquisition and rehabilitation, as well as free rent for college film programs, including those at DePaul University and Columbia College Chicago.
Cinespace is a family-owned business run by former real estate developer Alex Pissios. It has used the millions of dollars it’s gotten from the state to turn what once was a Ryerson steel mill in North Lawndale into what the company touts as the biggest film studio east of Los Angeles.
Since Gov. Bruce Rauner proposed slashing spending so that it matches actual annual revenues, it seems all we hear about are the worst-case scenarios that would result as every group in Illinois fights to keep what they’ve been getting. And those worst-case scenarios sound pretty rough. […]
We know it will be painful and there might be some negative consequences from some of the cuts. It scares me, for instance, to think about having to cut help for young adults who’ve aged out of the foster system and who never have been dealt a decent hand in their short lives. But these are the conversations that must be had.
Illinois expects to collect $32 billion in tax revenue. Rauner proposes to cut more than $6 billion to deal with the deficit and spend $31.5 billion. It really would be painful if I had to cut my spending by 20 percent, but there was a time once when I had to find a way to cut 10 percent. Staycations happened rather than vacations. There were far fewer dinners out and drinks with friends after work.
I don’t kid myself. I know there are plenty of us in Illinois who cut all that and much more during the Great Recession. They’ve never recovered from it.
But now it’s up to all of us to figure out what we want to afford. What we’re willing to pay for and what we’re not willing to fund. What can we live without?
* OK, first of all, Gov. Rauner did not match spending with revenues. His budget plan is loaded with billions in phony savings.
And even with those magical mystery savings, he still had to do things like toss kids off ventilators. So, while most people might want to compare their own personal situations to the budget, being forced to take a “staycation” or buying fewer glasses of wine is quite a bit different than telling parentless kids who are wards of the state that DCFS will no longer be their parents and they’ll be completely on their own once they turn 18.
We need to cut, yes, but we need to cut things that would be described as those little luxuries she mentions cutting out of her personal budget. I didn’t see her mention cutting utilities, groceries, medical care out of her personal budget.
That’s exactly right.
* Also, not a word about revenues? Sheesh.
To compare my own family history to state budgeting, when I was a kid and my parents found themselves struggling financially (they had five boys) my dad would go out and get another job. He often worked three jobs when I was young. Did they also take out some loans to get through particularly tough times? Yep. Did my dad buy some cars (and an old tractor), fix them up and sell them for profits? Yep. Why? Because they recognized their need for more revenues. But did they also constantly watch their spending? Heck yes they did. Whew, did they ever.
Rockford resident and Illinois State University student Lauretta Schaefer testified in the Illinois Senate Appropriations I Committee yesterday about the effects Governor Rauner’s budget would have on the Department of Children and Family Services.
Schaefer receives a scholarship from DCFS that allows her to attend college - something she knew she couldn’t do otherwise.
“When I was 14 my adopted parents showed me the DCFS scholarship, and I knew that was my ticket to higher education. Without the scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to attend college. Even with it, I still work two jobs to make ends meet,” said Schaefer.
Under the proposed budget, DCFS’s budget faces a nearly $150 million cut. A majority of the cuts will eliminate services for DCFS youth who are 18 years or older.
Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) who sits on the Appropriations I Committee had concerns about the proposed cuts.
“Many of these children have no parents and no support system to fall back on once they reach the age of 18. As a parent of four, I know my children will still call me for help and advice once they reach 18. These children don’t have that safety net. If we cut these programs, these young adults will have no one to fall back on. We need to keep these programs to help these kids break the cycle of poverty, to grow up and become productive members of our society,” said Stadelman.
It’s truly worth your time to listen to her testimony…
* Jim Dey writes about that new self described Democratic group Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity, which claims to have $20 million for Democratic legislative races…
Perhaps a better comparison would be to the Democratic Leadership Council, the organization then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton created in the late 1980s that was aimed at dragging the Democratic Party back from the political left to the more moderate center. Derided by the Rev. Jesse Jackson as “Democrats for the Leisure Class,” the DLC enjoyed vast success before folding.
“The DLC helped elect Bill Clinton to the presidency. That’s why people have to pay attention to the (ILGO),” said David Yepsen, who heads the Paul Simon Institute for Public Policy at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
The DLC did have a lot of political success, but it was constantly out there talking policy. And it folded because the rank and file grew tired of its corporatist rhetoric. The Democrats now talk a good populist game, which helps them be almost as corporatist as the DLC was. So far, we’re not getting much of anything from the ILGO except for vagaries about undefined principles.
Steve Brown, a spokesman for Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, said his boss “generally welcomes” those who want to become active in the Democratic Party. Beyond that, Brown said, he’s waiting for specifics.
“I don’t know much more than what I’ve read,” he said, describing the organization’s criticisms of Democratic leadership as “vague.” He predicted, however, that Democratic legislators are “not going to turn (their) backs” on traditional constituencies because “rich” people demand a shift in course.
“I’m not sure $20 million gets you very far any more,” said Brown, referring to the organization’s bankroll.
Um, $20 mil is still a lot of dough, Brownie. But, so far, Brown’s boss has been working with the governor. As I’ve said before, this may be more about intimidating the Senate President and his liberal caucus.
Lawmakers are scheduled to consider a new plan introduced by House Speaker Michael Madigan to end weeks of negotiations over plugging a $1.6 billion hole in this year’s state budget.
The Legislature faces a fast-approaching deadline to act as money runs out for subsidized childcare programs, prisons and court reporters.
The Chicago Democrat introduced the plan late Monday. It would authorize Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to transfer $1.3 billion from other purposes, including parks and conservation. The rest would come from a 2.25 percent across-the-board budget cut. […]
Madigan’s spokesman declined to comment as did the governor’s office. Senate Democrats said they planned to review the “progress” with their caucus.
Subscribers know more, but the amendments are here and here. House Republican Leader Jim Durkin was added as a chief co-sponsor yesterday on both measures. Both measures are posted for hearings this morning in the House Executive Committee.
Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, said the cuts, including about a $150 million cut to education will be painful, but more than 80 percent of the budget hole is being filled by taking money from the special state funds. […]
To ease the impact of the education cuts, Gov. Bruce Rauner will be given discretion to use up to $97 million to aid districts that are facing severe financial problems because of the cuts.
“I think what we are looking at here are very serious problems that could result in the stoppage of education across the board,” Currie said.
Federal funds will not be touched as part of the plan. Also, Illinois hospitals agreed to a plan in which they pay to help leverage federal health care matching funds that are then returned to them.
* Crain’s published an op-ed today that has some advice for whomever is elected Chicago’s mayor: Help small businesses start and grow. Here are a few of their suggestions, which are all pretty good..
Create easy-to-find checklists for license and permit applications. Entrepreneurs often have to spend hours waiting in City Hall only to be told they do not have all the paperwork they need to receive a license or permit.
Treat minor regulatory infractions with a friendly warning rather than a fine. Today, a first-time offense means a fine that runs in the hundreds of dollars, and often an administrative hearing that requires expensive legal support.
Reduce the administrative hearings that require businesses to spend money on legal representation. Chicago has an online system to deal with minor traffic violations like red-light tickets, but none for minor business violations. When business owners get a ticket, they must appear before the Department of Administrative Hearings and then sometimes appear again before the Department of Business Affairs, even when the ticket has been dismissed […]
Simplify signage and awning rules. Chicago should have a one-step online application for sign and awning permits. Today, the entire City Council votes on each signage request and on every awning that hangs over the public way. Furthermore, a bonded sign-erector is required to put up every sign.
Foster home businesses. Don’t outlaw the next Jeff Bezos. Let home businesses operate in garages so long as they don’t disturb the neighbors or impact the environment. Repeal the prohibition against home businesses hiring more than one employee, especially for remote employees. And end the restriction on selling homemade products outside of the home.
Make it quick to start up. It takes 32 days to start a professional-services business in Chicago. In Phoenix, an online system gets businesses through permitting and licensing in one day.
Tuesday, Mar 24, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Credit unions are committed to several cooperative principles, including social responsibility. At Staley Credit Union in Decatur, encouraging their members and the community to make steps toward better health is a top priority. Since 2006, the credit union has been a primary sponsor of the annual Penguin in the Park 5K. As a result of the credit union’s staunch support, this important community event has grown from 135 to nearly 1,000 participants.
Now in its 10th year, Penguin in the Park will once again receive more than $3,500 from Staley Credit Union for medals, t-shirts, sports bags, and other items. This event continues to be highly important to the credit union because health statistics in Macon County relative to obesity and physical inactivity exceed comparable data for all other Illinois counties.
Helping the community develop and maintain healthy lifestyles is just one facet of the credit union’s extensive outreach, which also includes awarding college scholarships, financially supporting a wide variety of city and county school athletic programs, post prom parties, and helping to sustain local food pantries. At the heart of the credit union philosophy is the principle of people before profits – and another reason why members are so fiercely loyal.
* A federal judge in southern Illinois has ruled in favor of unions attempting to block Gov. Bruce Rauner’s fair share fee plan.
You’ll recall that the governor filed a preemptive federal lawsuit in Chicago to declare the employee fair share fees unconstitutional.
The unions responded to that federal suit, claiming that the matter belonged in state court. The unions also filed another suit in state court in St. Clair County challenging the legality of the governor’s refusal to transmit fair share fees to the unions.
The governor then asked a federal court in southern Illinois to take the case from the county court. That federal court refused his request today, saying essentially that a state issue belongs in a state court.
District courts have “original jurisdiction of all civil actions arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 1331. The Supreme Court has recognized two ways in which a case may arise under federal law. Gunn v. Minton, 133 S. Ct. 1059, 1064 (2013). First, a case most commonly arises under federal law when federal law creates the cause of action. Second, a case asserting only state-law causes of action may arise under federal law “if a federal issue is (1) necessarily raised, (2) actually disputed, (3) substantial, and (4) capable of resolution in federal court without disrupting the federal-state balance approved by Congress.” Gunn, 133 S.Ct. at 1065; Grable & Sons Metal Prods., Inc. v. Darue Eng’g & Mfg., 545 U.S. 308, 312 (2005) (recognizing that “federal-question jurisdiction will lie over state-law claims that implicate significant federal issues”). […]
It is well-settled, however, “that a case may not be removed to federal court on the basis of a federal defense . . . even if the defense is anticipated in the plaintiff’s complaint, and even if both parties concede that the federal defense is the only question truly at issue.” Caterpillar v. Williams, 482 U.S. 386, 392 (1987); see also Doe v. Allied-Signal, Inc., 985 F.2d 908, 911 (7th Cir. 1993). Pursuant to the “well-pleaded complaint” rule, a plaintiff may avoid federal court jurisdiction by pleading only state-law claims, even “though certain federal questions may be implicit in his or her claim.” Doe, 985 F.2d at 911.
Here, unlike Grable, a federal question is not “necessarily raised” in Plaintiffs’ Complaint because a federal issue is not an essential element of Plaintiffs’ state-law causes of action. Even if Plaintiffs [unions] anticipated that Defendants [Rauner] would raise the First Amendment of the United States Constitution as a defense or even if both parties concede that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution is the only question truly at issue, this Court does not have jurisdiction. Plaintiffs’ “well-pleaded complaint” raises only state-law questions.
For the foregoing reasons, the Court REMANDS this case to the Circuit Court for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, St. Clair County, Illinois. The Court further DENIES as moot Plaintiffs’ Motion to Remand (Doc. 26) and Motion to Accelerate the Briefing Schedule
Former Illinois Rep. Bobby Schilling hasn’t closed the door on running in the special election to replace embattled Republican Rep. Aaron Schock, according to a knowledgeable GOP source.
State Sen. Darin LaHood of Peoria is the early frontrunner in the forthcoming Republican primary, but Schilling represented [16 percent] of Illinois’ 18th District during his time in Congress and could bring some name identification to the race. […]
Former state Rep. Jil Tracy, who is from Quincy on the western edge of the 18th District, could have access to personal money, which could help her overcome an initial name identification deficit. Her husband’s family has a large trucking and food distribution company.
Tracy, who lost a race for lieutenant governor in 2014, made calls to potential donors in Chicago late last week, testing the waters for a potential congressional run, according to local sources.
But GOP sources also said Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is working behind the scenes for LaHood and has offered to gather significant financial support for Tracy if she challenges Democratic state Sen. John Sullivan in 2016 instead of running for Congress.
I talked to Schilling just a few weeks ago and he said he had no desire to ever run for office again. Things change.
Also, Rauner’s people are indeed pushing LaHood, from what I’m told. And the SGOPs (and Rauner) would love to have Tracy challenge Sullivan in 2016. She could be the only person who has a shot at defeating him. But I don’t think she’s sold on that one yet. Stay tuned.
* From a Rauner administration press release. All emphasis added…
IDOT, ISP, Tollway, Industry Partners Urge Caution in Work Zones
Event Kicks Off Work Zone Awareness Week
CHICAGO –The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois Tollway, and labor representatives are teaming up to promote safe driving in work zones as part of National Work Zone Awareness week, which runs March 23-27. This joint effort is aimed at reducing the number of work zone crashes and saving lives on Illinois roads.
WHO: Tony Quigley, District 1 Project Implementation Engineer highways - IDOT
Lt. David Byrd – ISP
Mike Stone, Chief of Staff – Illinois Tollway Mike Sturino, President – Illinois Road and Transportation Builders
WHAT: Safety message for motorists on the importance of driving safely in work zones.
I know Mike Sturino. I like Mike Sturino. I’ve even spoken to Mike’s fine group.
But Mike Sturino is in no way a “labor representative.” And if this administration thinks he is, then we have more craziness ahead than we can ever know.
A new survey, Chicago Latino Voters and the 2015 Mayoral Runoff, conducted by Latino Decisions and co-sponsored by Latino Policy Forum, National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC) and Univision Chicago, was released at a town hall meeting this morning. […]
The poll found Latino voters demonstrate an exceptional level of interest in April’s election. When asked how enthusiastic they were in casting a vote in the upcoming race, 85% said they were very or somewhat enthusiastic. […]
Findings showed nearly two out of every three Latino voters have not been asked by “anyone from a campaign, political party, or community organization” for their vote or if they were registered to vote.
Illinois coach John Groce said his team handled injuries and suspensions to make the most of its first 31 games. That left the Illini on the verge of a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
But the last three games left the Illini in the National Invitation Tournament and, finally, done for the season.
Groce said Monday that Illinois’ trouble started in the second half of the regular-season finale at Purdue. It ended with a blowout loss to Alabama in the NIT.
Groce said the Illini didn’t play tough or together in those games, and players and coaches share the blame.
Sorry, coach, but if a team doesn’t play well together it’s the coach’s fault. Period.
Additional compensation includes compensation for TV, radio and Internet appearances; apparel sponsorships; consulting; promoting the program and making public appearances.
Groce receives a bonus of $500,000 if he retains his job beyond the 2016-17 basketball season.
Groce and his wife are each provided a car.
The University pays for his membership at the Champaign Country Club.
Groce also received up to $25,000 to move his household to Champaign-Urbana when he was hired.
Groce must report all outside compensation to the athletic director and the chancellor at the end of each year.
Illinois coaches for all sports are eligible for insurance, retirement and sick leave
Anybody wanna guess if he gets that $500,000 bonus?
Either way, consider this a sans Illini March Madness open thread.
* Again, these are ancient numbers for a public opinion snapshot, but let’s look at ‘em anyway…
Registered voters in Illinois are less likely than in the past to believe “cutting waste and inefficiency” can solve the state’s budget woes, and more likely to believe that revenue increases are at least part of the solution, according to the results of a Simon Poll released Monday.
As in six previous polls, conducted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, interviewers presented respondents with three options for fixing the state budget deficit:
1. Increase taxes, because programs and services have already been cut; or
2. Cut waste and inefficiency in government, because the state takes in enough money to pay for services; or
3. A combination of cuts and revenue increases, because the budget problem is so large.
For the second time in seven surveys going back to 2009, almost half (48 percent) chose a response that included revenue increases—whether tax increases alone (14 percent) or in combination with budget cuts (34 percent).
Just over four in ten (42 percent) said the budget problem could be fixed by cutting waste and inefficiency alone—the lowest number in the time series, and down from a high of 58 percent in 2011.
Simon Institute visiting professor Charlie Leonard said he and his colleagues believe they are measuring a real sea change in the way Illinoisans view the budget problem. “Because mistrust of state government is unusually high in Illinois, compared to the rest of the country, voters have long believed there must be enough waste and fraud to offset the massive budget deficits we have faced for years,” Leonard said. “However, after detailed, protracted coverage in the media, and facing the real prospect of cuts to programs they like, we think Illinoisans are coming to grips with a problem that is far larger than they used to believe.”
* But…
In the 2015 survey, partisanship predictably influenced responses. Half (51 percent) of Republican respondents believed cutting waste alone could balance the budget, compared with just under half (46.9 percent) of Independents and just over a third (34.9 percent) of Democrats.
Similarly, belief that cuts alone could solve the problem was higher downstate (47.3 percent) than in the Chicago suburbs (42.6 percent) or in the city of Chicago (33.5 percent).
You’d think that after suffering through one facility closure after another that Downstaters would shy away from cuts, but maybe they are thinking about cuts to things than don’t impact them.
* Anyway, here are the year-by-year results to this question: The state of Illinois has a budget deficit of over [amount varies by year]. I’m going to read three statements that people have made about how to fix the deficit, and ask you which one comes closest to your views. If you haven’t thought much about this issue, just tell me that…
* And the trend remains strong against public employees…
Since 2008 Simon Institute polls have asked Illinois registered voters whether they favor or oppose budget cuts for a number of state programs, from education to infrastructure to social programs for the poor and disabled.
Respondents were more likely to favor cuts to state workers’ retirement than in any other area tested. Even so, opposition to cuts in retirement spending was higher than support (at 44.3 percent in favor to 49.1 percent opposed).
Support was lowest for cuts in spending on programs for the disabled (13.2 percent) and cuts to K-12 education (15.7 percent). While opposition to cuts in specific program areas outweighs support in every instance, it is also true that levels of support for cuts in those areas has grown, again in each of the seven program areas tested.
Support for cutting pension benefits has more than doubled since 2008, from 22 percent back then to a high of 45.5 percent a few years ago, to 44 percent now…
There’s been a lot of tough talk under the Dome about how the Republicans are going to have to put all 20 of their members on a Fiscal Year 2015 budget fix. Maybe they’ll get a break, some say. and only have to put on 19. The Democrats correctly say the Republicans refused to cooperate on the budget for years and Rauner demanded that the GA not extend the income tax hike, so now the GOP is gonna have to carry the proportionate load.
The Republicans, understandably, want the structured roll call to be more even-Steven. And by that, I don’t mean that half the Democratic caucus would have to be for it (which would require at least 19 Senate Democratic votes), but that the partisan split would be closer to 15-15. After all, it was a Democratic budget that got us into this current mess, they rightfully say, and many of the fixes would benefit primarily Democratic constituencies (like child care funding, which the Democrats intentionally shorted last year). They’re willing to put up a higher caucus proportion than the Dems, but the overall numbers need to be more equal.
* The Question: Should the Republicans carry a vastly higher structured roll call burden or should the FY 15 vote be more even-Steven? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
In a study released Monday, the ACLU says that Chicago officers last summer conducted more than 250,000 stops of people who weren’t arrested.
The report, based on CPD data, found that the practice was employed at a rate that was four times as high as New York “at the height” of officers’ use of the practice there.
According to the report, officers are required to write down the reason for stops. However half of the stops reported gave an unlawful reason, or no reason at all.
The ACLU also says that almost three-fourths of those stopped were African-American, though they make up about a third of the city’s population.
The data analyzed by the ACLU shows that stops most commonly take place in the districts with the largest minority populations. For example, in 2014, police conducted 266 stops per 1000 people in the Englewood area (which is predominantly African American) while the rate in predominantly white Lincoln/Foster district was just 43 per 1000 people.
However, the data also shows that African Americans are much more likely to be the target of stops in predominantly white neighborhoods. Thus, in Jefferson Park where the population is just 1% African American, African Americans account for a full 15% of all stop-and-frisks in that area. In the Near North District, where the African American population is 9.1%, African Americans are subjected to more than one-half (57.7%) of all the stops. The ACLU report concludes that “black citizens are disproportionately subjected to more stops than their white counterparts. […]
The City only records information about stops if there is no arrest or charges. Stops that result in arrest are not identifiable and so the rate of innocent persons stopped cannot be ascertained. In New York, which does keep such data, 88% of persons stopped were innocent (they were not arrested or issued a summons). Also, Chicago records no information about frisks, which prevents the City from computing the rate of frisks resulting in the seizure of contraband. For example, in New York, which records frisk data, only 2% of the frisks turned up weapons.
The Chicago Police Department is fighting to keep a lid on how, when and where officers have used covert cellphone tracking systems — with an outside law firm billing the city more than $120,000 to battle a lawsuit that seeks those secret details.
Since 2005, the department has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on cell-site simulators manufactured by the Harris Corp. in Melbourne, Florida, records show. The devices — with names like StingRay and KingFish — capture cellphone signals.
Cops can use the technology, originally developed for the military, to locate cellphones. Police agencies in other states have revealed in court that StingRays and similar devices have been used to locate suspects, fugitives and victims in criminal investigations.
But privacy activists across the country have begun to question whether law enforcement agencies have used the devices to track people involved in demonstrations in violation of their constitutional rights. They also have concerns the technology scoops up the phone data of innocent citizens and police targets alike.
* This is the second time in a few months that the governor’s motorcade has been involved in an accident. Thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt…
On Monday, the Illinois State Police reported one of the vehicles in Rauner’s security detail hit the rear of a tractor trailer during an incident on Interstate 55 in Countryside.
The governor’s vehicle was not involved in the crash. The trooper driving the vehicle that hit the truck was transported to a local hospital and has been treated and released, a state police memo noted.
Police blamed the accident on wintry road conditions.
The crash happened about 8:15 a.m., when Rauner and officers with the Illinois State Police Executive Protection Unit were heading southbound on the expressway (I-55) near LaGrange Road doing a routine movement, State Police said.
One of the tail vehicles driven by a state trooper lost control and struck the rear tandem axle of a truck tractor, according to a statement from state police. It was snowing and the roadway was slick at the time of the crash.
The trooper was taken to a local hospital and was treated and released, police said. The vehicle Rauner was traveling in was not involved in the crash.
Illinois law forces most employees of state government to pay money to a union as a condition of keeping their jobs. Even though state employees aren’t forced to be full-fledged union members, they are required to pay fees to the union whether or not they want representation. Today, three state workers represented by the Liberty Justice Center have taken legal action to end that practice.
In February, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an executive order to stop collecting “fair share” union fees from employees of state government who are not union members. Gov. Rauner simultaneously filed a federal lawsuit asking a federal judge in Chicago – and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court – to declare mandatory non-member union fees unconstitutional. The three state workers represented by the LJC have filed a motion in federal court seeking to intervene in that lawsuit.
“The First Amendment guarantees everyone the right to choose whose speech they support and what groups they associate with. State workers shouldn’t have to sacrifice that right just to keep their jobs,” said Jacob Huebert, senior attorney at the Liberty Justice Center. “No one should be forced to pay money to a government union to keep their job. In filing this motion, these state workers are asking the court to protect their fundamental First Amendment rights and the rights of all state workers.”
Background: In February, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an executive order to stop collecting “fair share” fees from people who work for state government and are not full-union members. Gov. Rauner simultaneously filed a federal lawsuit asking a federal judge in Chicago – and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court – to declare non-member union fees unconstitutional.
Government unions and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked the court to dismiss Rauner’s lawsuit, arguing the governor did not have standing to bring this suit because he has not been required to pay union fees.
Regardless of how the court rules on the standing issue, the three state workers taking legal action today do have standing to challenge these union fees. For years, they have been forced to pay money to a union against their will, just to keep their jobs. These plaintiffs seek to intervene in this lawsuit to make sure that their fundamental First Amendment rights are protected.
Due to the magnitude of this case, it may ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The court is positioned to rule that mandatory non-member union fees are unconstitutional based on of its June 2014 ruling in Harris v. Quinn, in which a home health worker challenged former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. In the Harris decision, the U.S. Supreme Court wrote that a 1977 decision allowing mandatory non-member union fees was “questionable.” In Harris, a majority of the high court ruled that requiring home health workers to pay mandatory union fees was a violation of their First Amendment rights.
The Liberty Justice Center is a “public interest law firm started by the Illinois Policy Institute,” according to an earlier press release.
The three plaintiffs are Mark Janus, Marie Quigley, and Brian Trygg. Janus works for IDOT, the others work for Healthcare and Family Services.
[Mark Janus] does not agree with what he views as the union’s one-sided politicking for only its point of view. Janus also believes that AFSCME’s behavior in bargaining does not appreciate the current fiscal crises in Illinois and, does not reflect his best interests or the interests of Illinois citizens. […]
[Marie Quigley] also objects to many of AFSCME’s public-policy positions, including the positions that AFSCME advocates for in collective bargaining.
For example, she disagrees with AFSCME’s negotiation of contract terms that favor seniority over employee merit for purposes of layoffs and promotions, is concerned about the effect that AFSCME’s bargaining behavior is having on the Illinois budget, believes that union representatives are only looking out for themselves at the expense of union members and the people of Illinois, and does not believe that AFSCME is acting in her best interest or in the best interests of Illinois citizens. […]
[Brian Trygg] has sincere religious objections to associating with Teamsters Local 916 and its agenda. Trygg also believes that Teamsters Local 916 harms Illinois residents by objecting to efforts by the State to reduce costs that would allow public funds to be made available for more important uses. For example, the Union resists any furlough days, despite the State’s budget issues.
Discuss.
*** UPDATE *** Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan…
“It’s no surprise that corporate-funded, anti-worker organizations are supporting Gov. Rauner’s illegal executive order. The Right To Work Foundation and Illinois Policy Institute are corporate shell groups looking to further erode middle class economic security to boost the objectives of their benefactors. We will protect the integrity of the law, our collective bargaining agreements and the rights of all workers from these politically motivated attacks.
“The issues raised in the Governor’s lawsuit and by the interveners were decided long ago by the U.S. Supreme Court in a case called Abood. The concept of charging employees for non-political union representation is permitted under the First Amendment. We are opposed to workers having a free ride where the union is required to represent them without reimbursement for representation expenses that are non-political in nature.”
When I asked Samuel C. Scott III, one of the group’s three named board members, about whether the purpose of the organization was to back Rauner’s moves in Springfield, he said:
“It’s to give him support, yes. It’s to try to make clear some of the things he’s doing.”
I asked Scott, retired chairman of Corn Products Intl., if he had spoken to Rauner personally about this. He said he hadn’t, but added: “I know he’s talked to Tony Anderson.”
Scott was referring to Anthony K. Anderson, a retired vice chair at Ernst & Young who was identified as chairman of the group.
Anderson didn’t agree with Scott’s characterization.
“I’m not sure the governor is going to like what we do,” said Anderson, arguing that his goal is to “give Democrats cover” to take tough votes that might put them at political risk.
“We’ve talked to everybody, including the governor, about this,” he said.
A third member of the group’s board of directors, Patricia Pulido-Sanchez, who operates her own communications and marketing company, was clear about her political allegiances.
“I am a Rauner supporter. I think he’s the best governor we’ve had in a long time,” said Pulido, which wasn’t much of a surprise considering that her husband, attorney Manny Sanchez, has also been a prominent supporter of Rauner’s.
Illinois GO is designed to help lawmakers make better decisions through research, education campaigns, and public engagement. Illinois GO is not designed to push Gov. Bruce Rauner’s, or any other individual’s, agenda, as Mark Brown assumes in his column.
As for Mr. Brown’s “dark money” allegations, 510(c)4 structures, under which donors are not publicly disclosed, is the very same design used by hundreds of chambers of commerce and trade and labor groups across the country. Is the Sun-Times asserting that local chambers of commerce or AARP or the Sierra Club need to disclose the details of their members’ dues every time the group takes a position on a piece of legislation? Further, direct contributions to independent expenditure campaigns are always disclosed, and transfers from 510(c)4 are allowed.
If they transfer the dark money to the IE account, it’s still dark money. Sheesh.
* On Thursday afternoon, the Illinois Senate overwhelming confirmed Gov. Bruce Rauner’s choice to chair the Illinois State Board of Education, former Sen. James Meeks.
Almost immediately thereafter, gay rights group Equality Illinois denounced the governor for nominating Meeks. That condemnation was shortly followed by an equally harsh rebuke by a large coalition of Chicago-area community groups, many with no direct connection to gay rights issues.
* On Friday, Gov. Rauner met with Equality Illinois and other groups and agreed to take some action and hire another staffer…
In the first of its kind meeting with LGBT leaders, Gov. Bruce Rauner today committed his administration to strict enforcement of non-discrimination laws and suggested an openness to new initiatives to protect Illinoisans who experience unequal treatment. […]
During the discussion in the James R. Thompson Center, Gov. Rauner told the participants his office will issue a directive to all state officials and agencies to strictly enforce Illinois non-discrimination and anti-bullying laws, including as they apply to protect LGBT individuals. This directive is a first for Illinois.
The Governor’s office has also issued a second directive to the Illinois Department of Human Rights to conduct a survey on patterns of discrimination and unequal treatment faced by Illinoisans and to provide actionable recommendations to the Governor by January 31, 2016. […]
In addition, the governor will appoint a liaison to the state’s LGBT community providing an open and ongoing line of communication.
Four years ago, controversial Rev. James Meeks skewered mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel, saying he wasn’t out for the best interests of black voters.
“Ask any African-American leaders about that. They will tell you he had a role in keeping African-Americans out of the White House. All of the sudden, he sails into town, into African-American communities with all of this great stuff he’s going to do for us,” Meeks said during a talk show on WVON-AM 1690 at the time. “Your proof is in your track record. If he’s never done anything for African-Americans, wake up people. What would make us think he’s going to sail into town and start doing things for us now?”
But on Friday, Meeks stood side by side with Emanuel, endorsing him and saying he’s made a difference in black communities.
“You cannot turn a city like Chicago around in four years, it takes longer,” Meeks said in a resounding speech. “We appreciate the job that the mayor has been doing and we believe that he deserves four more years to continue his work.”
* So, to sum up, Meeks gets his job on Thursday, and the next day Rahm gets his Meeks endorsement and Rauner calms the anger of gay activists and makes what is apparently a patronage pledge.
Maybe this isn’t all connected, but if it is, then it was very well done. Also, if it was coordinated, then Gov. Rauner is playing a more active role in Rahm’s campaign than he has admitted.
Officials from Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration say his proposed state budget cut for a program that serves toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays wouldn’t be as drastic as first portrayed.
Among the Republican governor’s many suggested cuts in human services for the fiscal year that begins July 1 — to deal with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit — is a $23 million general revenue fund cut in Early Intervention services.
Supporters of the program said earlier this month, based on information presented by Rauner’s aides after his budget speech, that 10,000 fewer children would be served by Early Intervention in fiscal year 2016 under Rauner’s plan.
If the reduction estimate were accurate, the number of children from birth to age 3 receiving therapy through the program each year — currently more than 21,000 — would be cut almost in half.
But that’s not the case, said Linda Saterfield, associate director of the office of early childhood at the Illinois Department of Human Services. Rauner’s plan actually would reduce the caseload by 4,000 in fiscal 2016, putting the total number served at roughly 17,000, she said last week.
But a 50 percent reduction in the statewide caseload would happen in a few years as children currently in the program complete therapy or reach age 3, [Amy Zimmerman, director of the Chicago Medical-Legal Partnership for Children] said. Saterfield agreed that the situation Zimmerman described could be a possibility.
A newly formed group of self-described “center-left” Democrats claims to have secured $20 million in commitments to spend on state legislative races here.
But that $20 million apparently isn’t meant to counter Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s infamous $20 million campaign stash, which he says will be used to support his allies and punish his enemies. Indeed, the Democratic group appears to be promoting what could be seen as a somewhat softer, neo-liberal version of Raunerism.
Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity is not a traditional Democratic group, as its name more than implies. The press release announcing the group’s launch blasted Democratic leadership, including former Gov. Pat Quinn and both legislative leaders, for passing a budget last year “that they knew would create a financial crisis.”
The group also bemoans the lack of manufacturing employment, the state’s horrible credit rating and its poor business climate ratings, without specifically endorsing any real world fixes like workers’ compensation reform.
The ILGO blames all these problems on unspecified “special interests” which have had “far too much influence with legislative majorities in setting public policy.”
In interviews last week, the leaders of the group refused to specify which Democratic-allied special interests they were talking about, but they did point to the ultra-liberal Chicago Teachers Union as an organization which takes hardline stances without regard to “reality.”
The idea, apparently, is to create a well-funded alternate path for Democrats who may fear upsetting organized labor and other traditional party allies this year. The group doesn’t appear to be an overtly Rauneresque “anti-union” organization, but they are definitely not intending to echo organized labor’s positions, claiming that they’re “not bound by the constructs” of the party and its traditional allies.
Further evidence of this is that the new organization appears mainly designed to buttress Democrats who find themselves in tough primary races. “We’re not very interested in the balance of power as relates to Democrats vs. Republicans,” said an official with the organization. The hottest Democratic primaries lately have been fought between activist union-allied candidates and business-backed candidates.
So far, though, specifics are almost completely absent. Usually, it’s pretty easy to assess where a Statehouse organization stands. They have priority lists and even lists of legislation which they support and oppose. No such list currently exists for Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity.
The group’s leaders say they will be “communicating very clearly” and “working with the leaders and caucuses” throughout the spring session. But so far at least, they aren’t taking a stance on things like taxation. “We’re not advocating that you raise taxes, and we’re not advocating that you cut spending,” said another group leader. Instead, they say they want a “holistic” approach. They are clearly interested in protecting some state spending, claiming that there are many state programs which are “important” for Illinoisans.
Despite their harsh talk about their party’s legislative leadership, they claim that they’ve reached out to the caucus leaders to assure them that “we have their backs.”
And while they did identified a handful of board members, financing will likely be done mostly in the dark. The group has formed a not-for-profit 501(c)(4) group, which will allow contributors to remain anonymous. That money and other public contributions will then be funneled to an independent expenditure committee.
The general consensus under the Dome after news first broke about ILGO is that it’s probably little more than a Rauner front organization.
The three publicly identified board members have contributed relatively few actual campaign dollars in the past, and one of them is married to a prominent Rauner supporter. That’s leading some to believe that Rauner’s super-wealthy pals (many of whom have also contributed big bucks to Mayor Emanuel, who has ties to the firm which is handling the new organization’s activities) will be the real force behind the ILGO’s “dark money” fund.
The ILGO’s press release, which was so critical of the state’s Democratic leadership it purports to support, had as its main thrust fixing this fiscal year’s budget problem, which is currently the biggest Statehouse topic by far. Quite a few Senate Democrats said that it looked like the press release was aimed directly at them because they weren’t fully cooperating with Gov. Rauner on the budget fix.
* On Friday, I posted the Rauner administration’s react statement to Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s official opinion claiming that the governor’s right to work ideas are not legal. Here’s the full response from the governor’s general counsel…
From: Jason Barclay, General Counsel to the Governor
Re: Permissibility of Employee Empowerment Zones Under Federal Law
Date: March 20, 2015
The Governor has proposed legislation to protect employee rights, including the right to employment not conditioned upon union membership, in employee empowerment zones. Under the Governor’s proposal, voters could decide whether such rights should apply within their respective county, municipality, school district, or other unit of local government.
The National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”), 29 U.S.C. § 158(a)(3), preempts the regulation of “union security agreements” in all instances that impact interstate commerce. That preemption does not apply, however, where such agreements have been “prohibited by State . . . law.” Specifically, Section 14(b) of the NLRA provides:
Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed as authorizing the execution or application of agreements requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment in any State or Territory in which such execution or application is prohibited by State or Territory law.
In opinion 15-001, issued March 20, 2015, Attorney General Lisa Madigan concludes that this exception permits state to prohibit union security agreements only “on a statewide (or territory- wide) basis”, as 25 states and one territory have done. She argues that local governments cannot prohibit such agreements.
The Attorney General’s opinion cites several cases, including Kentucky and New Mexico, that challenged a local ordinance establishing the right-to-work in that locality. Notably, in each of these cases, the law at issue was enacted by the local government, without state authority. None of these cases addressed the structure being proposed by Governor Rauner, which would be based on new state law.
Under Governor Rauner’s proposal, the state would establish a uniform set of employee rights. Those rights would apply to employees only in those parts of the state that opted-in to the state law. Thus, in the plain language of Section 14(b) of the NLRA, the use of labor security agreements in those parts of the state would be “prohibited by State law.” While state law would authorize voters to decide whether or not to apply these employee protections, if applied the protections would derive from state law, not local law, and therefore fit squarely within the exception under Section 14(b) of the NLRA.
That’s actually a pretty decent argument on its face, particularly the final, highlighted paragraph. Also, I think Rauner’s attorney may have missed an angle. The AG’s opinion rightly points out that the federal Labor Relations Act is based on legit interstate commerce issues. But what if a school district wanted an “empowerment zone” only for its employees? Is that really interstate commerce? I suppose the district probably buys goods from other states (including textbooks), but does one have much to do with the other?
The issue of the validity of local ordinances that prohibit union security agreements was again addressed in New Mexico Federation of Labor v. City of Clovis, 735 F. Supp. 999 (D.N.M. 1990). In City of Clovis, a group of affected labor organizations brought an action against the home rule city challenging an ordinance that purported to prohibit employers located within the city from requiring membership in a labor organization, or the payment of dues, assessments, or other charges to such an organization, as a condition of employment. Concerning preemption, the court found that:
The Congressional regulation of union security agreements is comprehensive and pervasive. [Citation.] Section 8(a)(3) of the NLRA provides for specific conditions which must be met in order for an agreement to be valid. Congress intended to prohibit non-federal laws which would allow agreements impermissible under the Act. [Citations.] This indicates * * * that Congress intended an exclusive regulatory system and that §8(a)(3) so thoroughly regulates the subject * * * so as to preempt the matter from state legislation except to the extent specifically permitted under §14(b) of the Act.
A myriad of local regulations would create obstacles to Congress’ objectives under the NLRA. If the Ordinance is allowed to stand, other local governmental entities * * * could enact such ordinances, or different ordinances, concerning the same subject matter. The result would be a crazy-quilt of regulations within the various states. * * *
It is true that by enacting §14(b), Congress contemplated diversity of regulation throughout the country on the subject of union security agreements. [Citation.] However, the diversity that arises from different regulations among various of the 50 states and the federal enclaves within the 21 right-to-work states is qualitatively different from the diversity that would arise if cities, counties, and other local governmental entities throughout the country were free to enact their own regulations. * * * This result would * * * undermine the NLRA’s purpose by discouraging rather than encouraging bargaining on “conditions of employment.” City of Clovis, 735 F. Supp. at 1002-03.
The court specifically addressed whether the phrase “State or Territorial law” in section 14(b) could be interpreted to encompass local ordinances, and concluded that it could not:
No mention is made [in section 14(b)] of local ordinances or other means. “Congress is presumed to use words in their ordinary sense unless it expressly indicates the contrary.” [Citations.] In ordinary usage, the words “State or Territorial law” would not include legislation enacted by political subdivisions of the state. [Citation.] Courts have held that as a matter of plain language, reference to a “state” does not include reference to subdivisions of the state. City of Clovis, 735 F. Supp. at 1004.
Because of its conclusion that units of local government are preempted by the NLRA from enacting local ordinances that regulate union security agreements, the court found it unnecessary to address the question of whether the city possessed the requisite authority to enact such an ordinance in the first instance. City of Clovis, 735 F. Supp. at 1004.8
I highlighted that one fragment to show that the AG’s office believes that even identical and uniform local right to work zones would be prohibited. But that isn’t much.
* The hard truth is that no governor has ever tried to do what Rauner wants - establish a state opt-in law for local right to work zones. It’s all new and mostly untested. And because of that, his lawyers can keep on saying what they’re saying and the governor will undoubtedly keep pushing the idea during his innumerable public remarks. AG Madigan ain’t gonna stop Rauner’s speechifyin’.
* Also, notice that first line of the general counsel’s memo…
The Governor has proposed legislation…
“Proposed,” I’m told by the governor’s office, does not mean “introduced.” We all know that this thing isn’t going anywhere under the current legislative makeup. So, he will likely introduce it at some point, but perhaps refuse to call it for a vote because it’s just not quite soup yet (notice his endless comments that an FY 15 budget fix is just “days away”).
The end result? More endless speechifyin’ until he either gets a new and more favorable legislative map in his possible second term, or until he leaves office.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s former campaign manager is now working for Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul, but that’s not Chip Englander’s only new gig.
The political strategist has joined the Chicago office of Michael Best Strategies LLC, a Wisconsin-based lobbying start-up that’s trying to break into Illinois.
This isn’t the first time a top official or political aide, perhaps looking to leverage his or her clout and connections, has gone to work for a lobbying firm.
But this move is notable because on the campaign trail Rauner criticized that revolving door and a day after taking office, on Jan. 13, signed an executive order that bans state employees from working for a lobbying firm for one year after leaving state government. “Business as usual is over in Illinois,” he said at the time.
Englander was never a state employee, so the order doesn’t apply here.
He isn’t a registered lobbyist but the Michael Best web site says he “anchors the practice in Illinois.”
Still, the question remains: Is it hypocritical of Rauner to block ex-state employees from doing what a top aide is doing?
And how will Rauner manage the potential conflict of interest when Michael Best lobbies the governor’s office, as it indicated in state filings it plans to do?
Rauner spokesman Lance Trover says, “Chip Englander is not a registered lobbyist, nor is or was a member of the administration. . . . There’s nothing else to say.”
* Well, OK. But the BGA could’ve looked inward to answer the question of how Rauner will “manage the potential conflict of interest” when Best (not Englander, Best) “lobbies the governor’s office.”
Look further and you’ll see that the BGA’s registration filing shows that they intend to lobby the governor’s office and the governor himself.
They even have a contract lobbyist on the payroll, who is involved with several high-profile issues this year and does subcontracting work for the Ounce of Prevention Fund, which is run by the governor’s wife.
* Look, I’m not saying that the BGA is corrupt in any way. Sanctimonious and hypocritical, yes. But not corrupt.
Also, Rauner has no absolute, direct control over Chip’s career now. He isn’t a king. He can’t stop somebody from working for a firm that does some lobbying.
So, the answer to the BGA’s question is the governor should deal with Michael Best the way he deals with any lobster, including the BGA and Andy Shaw (and keep in mind that Rauner has donated big bucks to the BGA in the past).
