At a time when we are increasingly alarmed by the concentration of money and power in the hands of a few, Reform for Illinois is disappointed that the Illinois General Assembly just took another step back from a fair and equitable political system.
As the holiday weekend began, lawmakers in both chambers voted to remove all caps on transfers from political party committees to candidates during primary elections. Previously, caps were only absent in general elections.
This change will allow party leaders to funnel unlimited funds to their favored primary candidates. It will further increase the leaders’ power and the power of big donors while undermining the ability of more independent contenders to win their party’s nomination.
The extensive omnibus bill that includes the change will now go to Governor Pritzker’s desk.
Under the current law, party transfers during primaries are not unlimited but are still exceptionally high — $200,000 for statewide races, $125,000 for state senate races, and $75,000 for state house races, along with limits for judicial, county, and local candidates. Removing even these high limits is a significant move that reflects party leaders’ intent to gain more control over primary elections – often the only meaningful contests in a state with many “safe” districts.
Incumbent Democratic State Senator Natalie Toro’s recent primary election may shed some light on the motivation for the change. Toro received more than $1.8 million from Senate President Harmon’s party committee, ISDF, during her primary campaign – but still lost to a progressive challenger, Graciela Guzman. Our analysis in the lead-up to the primary showed that Toro had received more than 69% of her campaign’s total fundraising from ISDF alone. This massive influx of party cash would not have been possible had the restrictions on party primary contributions been in place. Harmon’s ISDF committee was initially capped at contributing $125K to Toro’s primary campaign until another candidate’s self-funding removed all contribution limits in that race in December.
Most states impose limits on party contributions to candidates, with the federal government limiting them to $5,000. This leaves Illinois behind much of the country in providing for fair, equitably financed elections.
“Even Mike Madigan didn’t do this,” said Alisa Kaplan, executive director of Reform for Illinois. “It’s a step backward that will increase legislative leaders’ power over their members while supercharging the election money arms race and depriving constituents of the chance to be represented by more independent candidates.”
The recently passed bill also removes limits on donations by candidates to party committees during certain periods, allowing legislative leaders to further exploit the self-funding loophole and build slush funds to control their caucuses. Reform for Illinois has proposed several ways to address problems with the self-funding mechanism that fuels this system.
Madigan wouldn’t agree with reformers who wanted him to cap his general election contributions, but he did agree to the primary race cap.
Lifting the political party caps applies to legislative caucus committees. Both Democratic leaders are also Democratic township committeepersons.
The bill is here. The House concurred with the Senate amendment on Saturday.
Lawyers for the ex-president of AT&T Illinois are seeking to bar key evidence in his upcoming bribery trial, arguing in a recent filing that prosecutors have failed to identify any conspiracy to “corruptly” influence then-House Speaker Michael Madigan to win passage of key legislation in Springfield.
Paul La Schiazza, 66, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in October 2022 with conspiracy, federal program bribery, and using a facility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity. His trial is set to begin in September.
Earlier this month, prosecutors filed what is known as a Santiago proffer, detailing the statements of co-conspirators and other evidence they intend to use to prove that there was a scheme by La Schiazza and AT&T to secretly funnel money to a Madigan-connected ex-legislator to gain a competitive edge as the utility was seeking to pass a bill ending mandated landline service.
In their 13-page response filed Friday, lawyers for La Schiazza argued that the government’s proffer “is devoid of any evidence” showing La Schiazza or any other AT&T employee knew “that seeking to influence Mr. Madigan was forbidden,” as required by current Chicago-area case law.
It is not enough that these individuals were referenced in the Indictment as playing some role in the charged events, particularly since their bona fide and legally permissible jobs were to further AT&T’s legislative agenda. The government must show knowledge of the illegal object of the conspiracy—which here requires a showing of “corruptly”—and that there was an agreement to advance further that illegal object… Doing something to develop or maintain a positive relationship with a politician or politically influential person is not a crime.
Currying favor with a politician or politically influential person is not a crime. Hiring a consultant recommended by a politician or politically influential person in order to build relationships or curry favor is not a crime. In this case, it is especially important for the Court to scrupulously police the lines between permissible—indeed, protected—political acts and those that cross the line into criminality. The government must show that Individuals ATT-1, -2 and -3 understood that they were acting improperly and outside the bounds of their bona fide duties in order to prove that they knowingly joined the charged conspiracy to corruptly influence Mr. Madigan. The Santiago proffer does not meet this burden.
Even if the government could meet its burden to show that ATT-1, -2 and -3 were members of the charged conspiracy, that does not mean any communication between these individuals is admissible under this Rule. Mere conversations between co-conspirators are not admissible under Rule 801(d)(2)(E). The statements must be being made in furtherance of the conspiracy.
A. The Government Fails to Sufficiently Identify which Statements it Seeks to Admit under Rule 801(d)(2)(E).
B. The Government Fails to Proffer Evidence of Any Effort to “Corruptly” Influence Mr. Madigan.
C. The Government Fails to Proffer Evidence of Any Agreement by Mr. Madigan to Take Action Respecting the COLR Legislation in Exchange for AT&T Retaining Mr. Acevedo as a Consultant.
D. The Santiago Proffer Alleges a Materially Different Conspiracy than the One Charged in the Indictment.
E. Neither Intermediary 4 nor Mr. Acevedo are Alleged to be Co-Conspirators so Their Hearsay Statements are Inadmissible.
F. If this Court Does Not Deny the Santiago Proffer Outright, it Should Defer Ruling on the Admissibility of Alleged Co-Conspirator Statements until the Time of Trial.
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The proposed Illinois budget deal contains a cap on the merchant discount fee that reimburses retailers for remitting sales tax revenue to the State, a change that only affects retailers generating over $11 million per year in sales. That’s less than 1% of business in Illinois.
In exchange for this provision, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association solidified a deal that would create a major disruption in the electronic payments system. The Interchange Fee Prohibition Act would prohibit interchange from being charged on the sales tax or gratuity portion of a receipt.
This new Act, contained in HB 4951 has NO revenue impact on the State, and would have major impact on card processing in Illinois. The impact threatens consumer privacy, increases expense to all parties to electronic transactions, and will be detrimental small businesses and online retailers doing business in Illinois.
Simply put, the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act is bad public policy – which is why the proposal has been rejected each time it has come up in other states. STOP efforts to disrupt the current interchange system. REMOVE the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act from HB 4951!
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon said he passed on putting a measure to extend a moratorium on public school closings in Chicago to a vote because he accepted Mayor Brandon Johnson’s promise not to shut down any schools or deplete funding for selective enrollment schools.
“The mayor has always been emphatically clear with me that he does not intend to close schools, he does not intend to under-resource schools, he does not intend to undermine the selective enrollment schools,” said Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat. “I think his commitment to me is even more clear and more binding than the bill would have been.”
“This is a business based on trust and in my view the mayor promised more than the bill did,” Harmon said after the Senate adjourned until the fall early Sunday.
The legislation to extend by two years, to 2027, an existing moratorium on shutting down Chicago Public Schools buildings had breezed through the House in a 92-8 vote and also was passed by a Senate committee before Harmon put the kibosh on it.
Development at the Y-Block could be coming soon, Gov. JB Pritzker hinted at a Citizens Club of Springfield event Thursday night.
Plans have varied for the former home of the YWCA due north of the Governor’s Mansion since its 2017 razing.
During a request for proposals that year, former Mayor Jim Langfelder picked a proposal by the North Mansion Y-Block Development Group, with $1 million of personal backing from former Gov. Bruce Rauner, to put a park and cafe on the site. Progress has, however, since stalled.
Now under a new governor and Mayor Misty Buscher, Pritzker said the state and the city of Springfield are still discussing how to use the space between Fourth and Fifth Streets on Capitol Avenue. […]
In recent summers, the 2.25 acre lot owned by the city has been used for varying events such as the Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series. A new development, Pritzker added during the discussion at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, should maintain openness to the public and be active year-round.
As discussions around proposals for men’s professional sports teams continue passed the spring session, members of the Illinois House Democratic Women’s Caucus joined together today to address House Bill 5841 that highlights inequities in the women’s professional sports industry in Illinois. The recently filed HB 5841, sponsored by Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, is designed to enhance inclusivity and ensure equitable support for both men’s and women’s sports, aligning with the state’s broader equity goals.
“This spring, we have heard a number of costly requests from some of the most successful and celebrated men’s sports franchises in our state, while women’s teams do not yet even have a seat at the table with the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. House Bill 5841 will ensure that as we consider plans from men’s teams, we provide the same consideration to women’s teams. Many of us do not support public financing of professional team facilities, but we believe strongly that any discussions with the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority must be done so equitably with women’s teams a part of those conversations.
“We are at a watershed moment for women’s professional sports, and our approach must rise to meet the momentum of the many talented women athletes who have captured the nation’s attention. This bill is only a start in the effort to address the many inequities that women’s teams have faced for far too long. Four years ago, many of us helped legalize sports betting in Illinois, but none of us expected to usher in an industry that was so glaringly inequitable. With tens of millions of dollars being spent on men’s professional teams by sports betting companies, not one has partnered with a women’s professional team in our state. It’s time to give women’s teams equal opportunity to achieve the level of success that athletes have clearly earned.”
House Bill 5841 amends the Commission on Equity and Inclusion Act and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority Act. Key changes include:
- Equity in funding. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority must collaborate with the Commission’s Executive Director on Equity and Inclusion to evaluate and propose policies promoting equity in sports facilities’ decision-making and funding.
- Bonds for women’s sports. If bonds are issued for men’s professional sports facilities, a corresponding issuance must support women’s professional sports facilities. If no immediate project exists for women’s sports, the funds will be reserved until a suitable project arises.
- Reporting requirements. The Commission on Equity and Inclusion must prepare and submit reports to the General Assembly every five years, starting January 1, 2026, evaluating whether the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority has met equity goals concerning fund use and management.
Prohibition of discrimination based on sex. - The legislation ensures that no person can be denied participation or benefits in activities at facilities funded under the Act based on gender.
The bill did not make it out of the House Rules committee.
For three critical hours after four students were shot, two fatally, at Benito Juarez High School, the school principal and some staffers threw up roadblocks to the police investigation and weeks later had to be threatened with grand jury subpoenas to spur their cooperation, the Illinois Answers Project has learned.
Detectives on the scene of the mass shooting that happened just before Christmas 2022 quickly learned the four victims and the suspected shooter were all current or former CPS students and asked to view school surveillance video, to interview a student witness who’d given information to school officials and sought access to other records relating to the students involved.
But at most every turn, according to public documents and police sources, school principal Juan Carlos Ocon and other administrators told detectives that cooperating would violate CPS policy, and they insisted on checking with their legal department.
The delays — which have never been previously reported — cost investigators invaluable time to interview witnesses and gather physical evidence, law enforcement sources said. Police arrested a 16-year-old about eight weeks later in connection with the mass shooting after they saw him leaving a stolen car with a rifle. But between the slayings at Juarez and his arrest, he is suspected of taking part in another shooting, authorities said. He has pleaded not guilty in the Juarez shooting, and his defense attorney pointed to the delay in his arrest to question the strength of the case. Illinois Answers is not naming the teen since he was a juvenile at the time of the shooting.
*** Statewide ***
* Bloomberg | Grad Photo Company Can’t Arbitrate Student’s Illinois BIPA Suit: A commencement photography company didn’t have a valid arbitration agreement to enforce against an Illinois university graduate alleging violations of the state’s biometric info law, a federal judge ruled. Joshua Gaertner brought a proposed class action under Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act alleging that he was never informed that Balfour & Co., through GradImages, would collect or use his biometrics to sell him photos from his Southern Illinois University Edwardsville graduation. Balfour sought arbitration in the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois based on a browsewrap agreement that Gaertner argued wasn’t conspicuous.
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | New O’Hare satellite concourse renderings show rebuild plan, but questions remain: The announcement shows growing momentum on the long-awaited rebuild, which calls for replacing Terminal 2 with a new Global Terminal and adding two satellite concourses. But many questions remain about the timeline, cost and design of the delayed expansion project. “This is a once in a generation expansion, the modernization of O’Hare,” Johnson said at a news conference. “Investing in our airports is an investment in all of our communities.”
* Sun-Times | 5-year-old girl fatally shot on Near West Side loved dancing, gymnastics: Reign Ware was always dancing across the floor. It didn’t matter to the 5-year-old whether it was the living room at home or at her aunt’s birthday party — even birthday cake couldn’t deter the “TikTok queen,” as her mother, Raven Adams, called her. She would tumble like a gymnast wherever she could. Adams had planned to enroll her daughter in gymnastics classes, but was waiting until she “got bigger” so she wouldn’t get hurt.
* Sun-Times | Chicago photographer, new book capture stunning images of the city from the sky: For Terry Maday, Chicago offers not only incredible restaurants and museums, but also amazing views. The award-winning Evanston native has been in the videography business for nearly 30 years. For his most recent project, he sought to capture the Windy City in ways that couldn’t be achieved from down on the ground. Maday, 56, is one of 15 photographers featured in “Above and Across Chicago,” a new book from Trope Publishing with a collection of photographs taken from helicopters, atop skyscrapers and with drones.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Shaw Local | Kane County considers pay raises for elected officials: Under the proposal, the county board chairman ‒ be it current chairman Corinne Pierog or her opponent, Lance Bell ‒ would be paid $130,000, 23% more than the current paycheck. But the pay for county board members would stay the same, at $25,000 a year.
* Crain’s | Following sale of Oak Park hospital, staff report quality, safety issues: Six medical residents who talked to Crain’s said West Suburban is often lacking necessary supplies and equipment to care for patients. They also said the hospital is chronically understaffed, sometimes missing essential hospital staff like X-ray technicians, phlebotomy workers and even surgeons. A shortage of staff, especially on the weekends, is sometimes extending the length of patient stays at the hospital, according to the residents. The hospital’s CEO, while acknowledging some complaints, has pushed back against most of the residents’ claims.
* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan alderman gives up liquor license to avoid conflict of interest; ‘They should change the law’: Guzman, 47, bought the business in 2014 and got a liquor license six years later to sell beer and margaritas to go with the hotdogs, hamburgers, Italian beef and chicken sandwiches. Elected to the City Council just over a year ago, Guzman began recusing himself from the proceedings anytime an issue related to liquor licensing was before the legislative body. But, earlier this year, he learned that was not necessarily enough, and that according to state law he may not be able to continue on the council while holding his liquor license.
*** Downstate ***
* Illinois Times | Frito-Lay distribution center slated to be built in Springfield: A distribution center employing 150 to 200 full-time workers at a warehouse the size of almost four football fields would be built along Interstate 55 near the Chatham exit, based on a proposal Springfield zoning officials will consider June 20. Local economic development officials told Illinois Times they don’t yet know who would operate the site, which, based on industry estimates, could cost between $30 million and $51 million to build.
*** National ***
* ABC News | DNC to nominate Biden and Harris to bypass Ohio ballot issues: The Democratic National Committee will move to conduct virtual party proceedings to certify President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominees before Ohio’s Aug. 7 ballot certification deadline, and before their in-person convention beginning Aug. 19, the party confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday. This will take a big moment away from Biden and the party — the official nomination at convention is typically met with fanfare and celebration, but he will become the official nominee virtually, without the pomp and circumstance.
* AP | 25 are dead across the US after weekend tornadoes. Texas is getting battered again: Strong storms with damaging winds and baseball-sized hail pummeled north Texas on Tuesday as much of the U.S. recovered from severe weather, including tornadoes, that killed at least 25 people during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Widespread power outages were reported in the region, which includes Dallas and Fort Worth, where an oppressive, early-season heat wave added to the misery. About 800,000 customers lacked electricity Tuesday, according to PowerOutage.us.
* NYT | Who Plotted to Sell Graceland? An Identity Thief Raises His Hand: The writer said he was an identity thief — a ring leader on the dark web, with a network of “worms” placed throughout the United States. In an email to The New York Times, he said his ring preyed on the dead, the unsuspecting and the elderly, especially those from Florida and California, using birth certificates and other documents to discover personal information that aided in their schemes. “We figure out how to steal,” he said. “That’s what we do.”
* Senate Bill 251, the operating and capital appropriations bill, was passed by the Senate on Sunday, May 26.
The House was in perfunctory session on Sunday so it could receive the day’s Senate-passed bills and read them into the record. That means SB251 had its First Reading that day.
The House returns today. The approp bill will be read into the record a second time. The expectation is that the House will remain in session until after midnight, which would mean the chamber could then pass the bill on Third Reading and adjourn.
* Rep. Travis Weaver recited a poem he wrote during a break in the action on Saturday. The poem mentioned me at the end. Click here for that. During that poem (I’ll post the transcript in comments), Weaver partially quoted Rep. Miller…
As Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers search for ways to shore up the state’s budget as federal COVID dollars dissipate, they targeted the sports betting tax. Though Pritzker’s initial proposal would have hiked the tax from 15% to 35%, lawmakers subbed the flat tax for a tiered structure they contend would make more than the governor’s original $200 million revenue goal. […]
In a statement this weekend, Sports Betting Alliance President Jeremy Kudon called the Illinois Senate’s move [to pass the bill] “extremely disappointing.”
“This tax hike will mean worse products, worse promotions, and inevitably, worse odds for Illinois customers — not to mention provide a massive leg up to dangerous, unregulated and illegal offshore sportsbooks who pay no taxes and adhere to none of Illinois’ sports betting regulations,” Kudon said, threatening to pull sportsbooks out of the state. “Sportsbooks across the industry will have no choice but to re-evaluate their level of investment and participation in the state should this become law.”
* As I write this, DraftKings stock price is down about 11 percent. Flutter Entertainment, which owns FanDuel, is down almost 7 percent.
In a report to clients today, Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli said the Illinois tax hike isn’t “overly draconian for the operators, and of little consequence to the majority of the operators in the state.”
However, he cautioned that other cash-strapped states could be inspired by the move in Illinois and be compelled to boost their own sports wagering taxes. The analyst observed that owing to currently accommodative rates, Michigan and New Jersey could eventually implement “punitive” increases to their sports betting levies. […]
In report out Tuesday, Morgan Stanley said DraftKings and Flutter can trim marketing and promotional spending in Illinois to offset some of the headwinds caused by the elevated tax while adding the new policy creates an overhang for the operators. […]
Oppenheimer analyst Jed Kelly told clients the two operators [FanDuel and DraftKings] could leverage rising taxes to advance consolidation, adding that unfavorable legislative outcomes are buying opportunities in DraftKings. He rates the stock “outperform” with a $60 price target, implying upside of 71.8% from current levels.
* Yahoo! Finance reiterates the spread to other states worry…
Well, the thought here from analysts is that the potential here for other states to follow suit… That is really the primary concern of analysts, of investors.
Legislation that creates a state regulatory framework for carbon capture and storage projects, plus a moratorium on pipeline construction, is now headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
The bill cleared the Illinois House with a 78-29 vote Saturday, received the OK from the Illinois Senate on a 43-12-2 roll call on Sunday and now only needs Pritzker’s signature to become law.
The governor, in a statement Sunday evening, said he looked forward to signing the legislation “as soon as possible.”
Its passage builds on the state’s existing energy laws, he said, “by setting nation-leading safety and environmental standards around carbon capture and sequestration while bringing thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in investment to Illinois.”
A bill is heading to Governor Pritzker’s desk that would protect people from retaliation by their landlords. But not everyone is on board with it.
The Landlord Retaliation Act would prohibit landlords from knowingly terminating or refusing to renew a lease, increasing rent, decreasing service or threatening a lawsuit after tenants seek assistance to ensure their housing is safe and habitable. Protected actions by the tenant include:
- Making a requests for repairs
- Making a complaint of code violations
- Organizing a union or being a member of one
- Testifying in an official proceeding
- Seeking assistance from elected officials
- Exercising any other right provided by law
“With fear of retaliation, tenants would rather stay in inadequate living conditions than speak up – this cannot continue,” said State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), the bill’s chief sponsor in the Senate. “Tenants spend their hard earned money on rent. At minimum, they should be confident when taking actions to ensure that their home is properly maintained.”
“These unjust methods of retaliation lead to housing instability, financial insecurity and ultimately homelessness which further harms our communities,” Villa added. “It is the responsibility of landlords to maintain a property and we must protect tenants who are simply holding their landlords accountable.”
In the final days of their spring legislative session, Democrats in the General Assembly advanced measures aimed at expanding and protecting aspects of maternal and women’s health care.
If signed into law, the measures would expand insurance coverage of pregnancy and postpartum services, maintain abortion as a viable treatment option for women experiencing certain emergencies, and regulate how providers and authorities can keep and use abortion patient data.
Proponents claim House Bill 5142 will improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes by providing coverage for pregnancy and postpartum support services – like doulas, midwives, home births, lactation consultants, breastfeeding supplies and more. […]
The Senate approved the bill along party lines Thursday, 40-19, sending it back to the House, where it passed 70-35 on Saturday.
* Sen. Celina Villanueva…
State Senator Celina Villanueva passed a measure to preserve lifesaving reproductive health care as anti-choice action threatens to infringe on people’s rights.
“It is imperative that Illinois continues to shield itself against these persistent anti-choice attacks,” said Villanueva (D – Chicago). “This pending Supreme Court ruling threatens access to vital life-saving care for women throughout Illinois and beyond by limiting medically necessary services.”
House Bill 581 would protect Illinois patients from another likely Supreme Court rollback of reproductive rights by ensuring Illinois hospitals must provide any medically necessary services—including abortion services—to stabilize a patient at risk of severe injury or death.
While this is currently federal law, the Supreme Court’s anti-choice majority is expected to rule as early as this June in Moyle v. Idaho. This case questions whether Idaho’s total abortion ban is exempt from the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. Idaho has argued that it should be exempt, an argument that, if upheld, could undermine critical patient protections in cases of severe pregnancy complications. If the Supreme Court again strikes down federal protections for patient health, House Bill 681 would ensure these protections remain in place in Illinois and would impose civil penalties on hospitals that refuse to provide lifesaving abortion procedures.
“I am committed to maintaining and reinforcing the measures that ensure the well-being and inalienable rights of women in Illinois,” said Villanueva. “The delicate process of bringing life into this world is already unpredictable. We must safeguard the legal protections to offer lifesaving emergency services.”
House Bill 581 passed the Senate Sunday and heads to the governor’s desk for further consideration.
Illinois could soon join a handful of states with digital IDs and driver’s licenses.
House Bill 4592, introduced by Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), passed by a unanimous vote in the state senate Friday. The bill cleared the state House of Representatives earlier this week and now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker for his signature.
The legislation would not eliminate physical driver’s licenses but would allow the state to offer them as a companion to a physical card.
Several states, including Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, and Utah already have digital IDs.
The Illinois General Assembly passed legislation to protect workers from unwanted or offensive political and religious speech unrelated to job performance. If signed, Illinois would be the 8th state to enact legislation with these protections. The bill had the support of a diverse group of stakeholders, including the Illinois AFL-CIO, Chicago Federation of Labor, Equality Illinois, Planned Parenthood, Citizen Action, Women Employed, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, and Raise the Floor Alliance.
“Captive audience meetings are a direct violation of workers’ rights. They force our most vulnerable employees to choose between their job and personal values,” stated Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea. “Employers are increasingly using the workplace to advance their political and religious interests, and this creates an atmosphere ripe for coercion. The Worker Freedom of Speech Act ensures that workers are protected when choose to walk away from these meetings.”
The Worker Freedom of Speech Act is designed to prohibit employers from threatening, disciplining, firing, or otherwise retaliating against workers who refuse to attend mandatory workplace meetings focused on communicating opinions on political or religious matters. It will not prevent employers from holding meetings, only protect workers who choose not to engage in matters unrelated to their work.
“The Illinois General Assembly did the right thing today by taking a stand to protect workers from captive audience meetings,” remarked Cherita Ellens, President and CEO of Women Employed. “Coercive speech causes particular harm for groups of workers who are already vulnerable to discrimination and unfair treatment at work—including Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and disabled workers. Today’s passage of the Illinois Worker Freedom of Speech Act lets working people know that they are valued, and that Illinois will not tolerate employer abuses.”
The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is a step closer to acquiring a 1,500-acre state park in DeKalb County, much of which was once part of a reservation that was illegally seized from the tribe in the mid-19 th century.
As the Senate worked through its last stack of bills Sunday before planning to adjourn for the summer, it voted 49-7 to pass Senate Bill 867, which authorizes deeding the property to the tribe for $1.
“Rarely do we get to make amends for the sins of our collective past,” Sen. Mark Walker, D-Arlington Heights, the bill’s chief sponsor, said on the Senate floor. “As you might expect, this bill is to repair the 150 years we have suffered with a moral wound.”
The Prairie Band Potawatomi were originally granted a reservation of roughly two square miles – about 1,280 acres – in the 1829 Treaty of Prairie du Chien. But around 1849, Chief Shab-eh-nay traveled west to northeast Kansas, where many other members of the tribe had relocated. While he was gone, the federal government declared the reservation land abandoned and sold it at public auction.
“Menu prices are sure to increase, making restaurant visits less appetizing. We’re also wondering: Will customers continue to eat out as often and tip generously — or at all — when prices increase and service charges and other fees are added to bills? And what about those servers who already make more than minimum wage because of tips, especially in bustling, high-end establishments? Nationally, according to a 2022 survey by the National Restaurant Association, tipped workers make an average of $27 an hour.”
* ICYMI: Senate Democrats send $53.1B spending plan to House. Capitol News Illinois…
Two days after the General Assembly was scheduled to adjourn its spring session, Democrats in the Illinois Senate advanced a $53.1 billion budget to the House Sunday night, where leaders expect it to pass without changes.
The fiscal year 2025 spending plan, which came together over a stretch of late nights and closed-door dealmaking, spends $400 million more than what Gov. JB Pritzker proposed in his February budget address.
Despite controlling the governor’s mansion and both chambers of the legislature, Democrats had a rocky time coming to an agreement, as evidenced during floor debate of the bill. In a rare move, a few Democrats publicly aired their disappointment with their party’s budget priorities before ultimately voting for it, while a pair of Democrats quietly voted no. […]
The budget, which is set to take effect on July 1, would increase spending by 5 percent from last year’s enacted budget, but just 1.6 percent when factoring in supplemental spending for the current year. It also reduced spending in several areas from Pritzker’s February budget proposal by a total of about $73 million, according to Sims, although Democrats did not provide a list of the cuts.
The spending plan directs a $350 million increase for K-12 education and full funding for year two of Pritzker’s “Smart Start” plan aimed at adding 5,000 preschool seats across the state and providing workforce grants. The plan would send $198 million to the state’s “rainy day” fund and make the full pension payment required by law.
Majority Caucus Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) released the following statement after the Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget:
“In keeping with our shared commitment to fiscal responsibility, we have approved a budget that is balanced, responsible and invests in people in all corners of our state.
“As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I set a goal that our budget would serve the best interests of the people of Illinois. By promoting economic growth, supporting education, ensuring public safety and enhancing the overall well-being of our communities, we will build a stronger, more prosperous and more equitable future for all residents of our great state.
“This budget reflects our shared values and our commitment to making Illinois a better place to live, work and raise a family. I am proud to have led a stable budget that addresses our current needs.”
Fiscal Year 2025 Budget
The Fiscal Year 2025 budget builds upon the responsible spending decisions the state has made and balanced budgets we have passed in recent years, bringing forth a budget and other legislation that prioritizes education, public safety, economic development, social service, local governments and more.
Highlights
Fiscal Responsibility – 6th balanced budget
This budget builds on five years of historic fiscal progress with balanced budgets, nine credit rating upgrades, the elimination of the bill backlog, and more.
Alongside the smart spending decisions of the previous fiscal years, the budget continues to pay down our bills, invest more money into retirees through fully funding pensions, and save for the future.
Early Childhood Education
$14 million to launch the Department of Early Childhood – a new agency to focus on administering early childhood education programs
An additional $75 million will be sent to the ISBE Early Childhood Block Grant – putting in place 5,000 more slots in preschool deserts
$36.5 million to support higher participation in the Child Care Assistance Program
K-12 Education
Continues the commitment of a $350 million increase toward the evidence-based funding model for K-12 education
The state will topple $2 billion toward the evidence-based funding model since its inception with this investment
$10.3 million increase for Career and Technical Education programs
$3 million for State Literacy Plan Implementation – a roadmap to enhance and unify core literacy instruction efforts statewide
$45 million for the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program
Higher Education
$700 million for Monetary Award Program (MAP) funding
In Fiscal Year 2025, a projected 146,000 students could benefit from MAP Grants – up from 126,864 in 2019
$8 million for the Minority Teacher Scholarship Program
Violence Prevention and Public Safety
Funding to hire and train 200 new state troopers – a total of two new cadet classes
$200 million to the Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) program
$45 million to build up the Reimagine Public Safety grant program
$200 million to enhance after-school and summer youth programs
Health and Human Services
$290 million for HOME Illinois
$2.4 billion for services for people with developmental disabilities, including a $1 per hour wage increase for Direct Support Professionals
$155 million for safety net hospitals
$50 million for a child tax credit for eligible low-income families with EITC
*** Statehouse News ***
* Capitol News Illinois | Prairie Band Potawatomi land deal clears Senate, will head back to House: The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is a step closer to acquiring a 1,500-acre state park in DeKalb County, much of which was once part of a reservation that was illegally seized from the tribe in the mid-19 th century. As the Senate worked through its last stack of bills Sunday before planning to adjourn for the summer, it voted 49-7 to pass Senate Bill 867, which authorizes deeding the property to the tribe for $1.
* Center Square | Illinois changing ‘unlawful use’ to ‘unlawful possession’ of gun charges: In January, state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, filed House Bill 4500 to change various firearm possession charges to get away from being labeled unlawful use of a firearm charges. He argued in a committee earlier this year that some of those who are charged and convicted with being illegally in possession of a firearm but not using it in the commission of another crime were charged with unlawful use which carries a negative stigma.
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker continues clashing with Illinois Senate over parole board: Over opposition from the governor’s office, Senate Democrats, joined by their Republican colleagues, voted without opposition late Sunday to codify a series of changes to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, a body that has been a source of long-running bipartisan tension between the legislative chamber and the Pritzker administration. The discord, which began two years ago when the Senate rejected some of Pritzker’s appointments to the board, most recently flared earlier this spring after the panel released 37-year-old parolee Crosetti Brand. After his release, he was charged with killing 11-year-old Jayden Perkins and attacking the child’s mother, with whom he once had a relationship.
* Pantagraph | Illinois carbon capture rules head to Pritzker: The bill cleared the Illinois House with a 78-29 vote Saturday, received the OK from the Illinois Senate on a 43-12-2 roll call on Sunday and now only needs Pritzker’s signature to become law. The governor, in a statement Sunday evening, said he looked forward to signing the legislation “as soon as possible.”
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | CTA could provide up to 250 buses for use during the DNC. Will that leave enough for regular bus service?: The head of the union that represents bus drivers says he anticipates having enough staffing for both the DNC and regular scheduled bus service. But designating buses for the convention has some advocates concerned. “Pulling CTA operators from their regular routes to a specified task that doesn’t serve all of Chicago is of tremendous concern,” said Kyle Lucas, with the transportation advocacy group Better Streets Chicago. “And what will service look like for everyday people during that time?”
* Tribune | Chicago’s first school board elections are less than 6 months away. Here’s what to know on the possible outcomes for schools: “Whether it’s elections for the mayor or whether it’s for school boards, it’s really about different adult interests that up at the ballot box,” said Vladimir Kogan, a political science professor at Ohio State University who studies education policy. “Very little is usually fundamentally at the end of day about the kids and what’s good for student learning.” However, research has shown that holding school board elections in on-cycle years — as Chicago will — can equate to more accountability for board members and result in a wider net of people voting for those who will control public schools.
* AP | Man convicted of Chicago murder based on blind witness’ testimony sues city, police: A judge convicted Darien Harris in 2014 in connection with a fatal shooting at a South Side gas station in 2011. He was 12 years into a 76-year prison sentence when he was freed in December after The Exoneration Project showed that the eyewitness had advanced glaucoma and lied about his eyesight issues. Harris was 30 years old when he went free. Harris filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in April alleging police fabricated evidence and coerced witnesses into making false statements, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday. He told the newspaper that he is still struggling to put his life back together.
* WBEZ | Chicago summer forecast: less extreme heat, not as much wildfire smoke as last year but muggier:
“Because we have had such a wet spring across much of the region, I wouldn’t expect a summer with a large number of extremely hot days,” says Trent Ford, the Illinois state climatologist. “But the abundant moisture in the ground can make for some very humid conditions this summer, which can exacerbate heat stress. So the outlook right now is for a warm — likely muggy — and stormy summer across the Midwest.”
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Sun-Times | 2 ex-jail officials say they were fired after claiming they were coerced into political work for Sheriff Tom Dart: Drake Carpenter and Aracelis Gotay were suspended without pay in March of 2022 amid a federal investigation into whether some employees in the sheriff’s office were illegally working second jobs. Two other administrators also were suspended and more than a dozen lower-ranking officers were transferred. But after nearly two years without a paycheck and no indication from the sheriff’s office on exactly why they were suspended, Gotay and Carpenter sued the sheriff this past December.
* Daily Herald | Diamond in the rough or money pit? Metra board chagrined at costs of warehouse ‘fiasco’: Metra bought the large property at 17100 S. Halsted St. for about $7 million in October 2020. The price seemed right, the location near I-80 and I-294 was appealing, and a centralized warehouse could cut delivery times and costs with bulk purchasing, officials thought. A few months into the purchase, heavy snow caused some warehouse walls to separate from the roof and it turned out the site had drainage issues. Currently, there are concerns the floor can’t support the weight of Metra’s heaviest items, the site needs to be rezoned, and the city won’t allow outdoor storage, staff said.
*** Downstate ***
* Daily-Journal | Gotion buys 231 acres for targeted expansions, power plant: The land, about 231 acres split between two parcels, was acquired by limited liability companies related to Gotion, and it will allow the China-based company to build out its power plant for future use. “They need to get power to the plant, and there are huge power lines that run about a mile west of their facility,” said Manteno Mayor Tim Nugent. “They need to be able to get right-of-way access to those power lines, so they have purchased the property between the facility and those power lines.”
* WAND | Federal grand jury issues subpoena in investigation of former Paris 95 Superintendent: The day after the FBI raid, ISBE informed Superintendent Larson and the District it was investigating misspent COVID funds. Days later Larson was put on paid administrative leave, and by the end of the year he left the District. ISBE worked with the District on a corrective plan to re-pay the almost $1.6 million.
* WSIL | NWS Preliminary Results: EF-3 Tornado Hits Southern Illinois: An EF-3 tornado hit Johnson County on Sunday, according to preliminary results from the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS sent out a survey crew to southern Illinois on Monday morning. There they investigated the area and found evidence which they feel supports the EF-3 tornado status.
* Shaw Local | Aging veterans appeal for help with future Memorial Days: Each May, Dennis Znaniecki calls for residents of the Illinois Valley to commemorate the dead. People respond generously. At Memorial Day 2024, however, Znaniecki called for future volunteers, too. Znaniecki, commander of the Peru Veterans Memorial Group, said Monday it’s getting harder for he and the aging corps of veterans to handle the yearly observances and to ensure Memorial Day is solemnly observed for generations to come.
*** Sports ***
* Sun-Times | Bill Walton: A free spirit who blazed his own trail in life, basketball : Bill Walton died of cancer Monday at 71, and it seems a gust of fresh air just left the room. Walton was a different dude. He was an ageless, gentle hippie, torn from the start by his love of basketball and by his desire to be free of the artificiality and constraints of modern life. By his own account, he had attended more than 1,000 Grateful Dead concerts. The community Deadheads create in the midst of the jam — always with the memory of deceased leader Jerry Garcia afloat — is something that binds them together in a brotherhood of ecstasy.
* Tribune | Illinois baseball is seeded 3rd in Lexington Regional, while Tennessee earns No. 1 national seed in NCAA Tournament: Tennessee, the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament champion and the consensus No. 1 team in the country for a month, was awarded the top national seed for the NCAA Tournament on Monday. The 64-team tournament opens Friday with 16 double-elimination regionals. Winners advance to eight best-of-three super regionals. Those winners move on to the College World Series beginning June 14 in Omaha, Neb.
*** National ***
* Bond Buyer | From politics to disclosure to funding, issuers are navigating a tough climate: With a myriad of challenges facing state and local governments to fund vast infrastructure needs amid a shifting climate and severe weather events, there are government officials across the country that have begun to address them head on. Paying for them is one of the biggest challenges.
Monday, May 27, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
HB 4951 contains a new Act that has NO revenue impact on the State, and would have major impact on card processing in Illinois. The Interchange Fee Prohibition Act is retailer backed legislation that would disrupt the electronic payment system that Illinois consumers rely upon to transact business in a safe and convenient manner.
Impacted industries responsible for implementing the change were left out of negotiations, and the result is bad public policy. Global payment systems operate in a uniform manner to process transactions worldwide. This legislation will set Illinois apart as a nationwide outlier. States that have carefully considered similar legislation have all REJECTED these proposals as being nearly impossible to implement, threatening consumer privacy and disrupting a system that works well today.
STOP efforts to disrupt the current interchange system. REMOVE the Interchange Fee Prohibiton Act from HB 4951! More information here.
“We appreciate the Senate and the Governor’s commitment to working collaboratively to pass an agreed budget that’s best for Illinois. The House will reconvene on Tuesday, May 28 at noon to finish our work for this session.”
* Click here to see the “cheat sheet,” click here to scroll through Sunday’s live coverage. Some budget-related news stories…
* Tribune: Illinois Senate approves state budget with $750 million in tax hikes, measure now moves to the House
* Lee Enterprises: Illinois lawmakers close to finalizing $53 billion state budget
* Capitol Fax: Harmon: ‘Each budget is its own beast, and this one was a doozy’
* Capitol Fax: Two Senate Democrats voted against the budget, three voted against the revenue bill
* SJ-R: Grocery tax eliminated under $53.1 billion budget approved by Illinois Senate
* A couple of non-budget stories…
* WCIA: Carbon Capture regulations pass Senate, head to Governor’s desk
* CNI: Prairie Band Potawatomi land deal clears Senate, will head back to House
* OK, on to a couple of reactions that I found in my inbox earlier today. Illinois Municipal League…
“I want to personally thank the leaders and members of the General Assembly for their partnership to support local authority as part of this state budget. With the elimination of the statewide tax on groceries, the authority has now been given to local officials in our cities, villages and towns to determine if and how that revenue should be replaced,” said IML Chief Executive Officer Brad Cole.
“Granting both home rule and non-home rule municipalities the authority to generate local revenues – whether regarding groceries or general merchandise sales – provides much needed parity and flexibility for all communities.”
“We are grateful for the efforts of all mayors and municipal officials who contacted their legislators about these important issues, and we encourage local officials to use these tools wisely and carefully,” said Cole.
* Economic Security Illinois…
Late last night, the Illinois Senate released a proposed budget which includes a robust Child Tax Credit (CTC) that would benefit hundreds of thousands of families, offering them an average of $300 to $600 credit for each family with children under the age of twelve. This CTC represents a significant investment in Illinois families, offering $150 million over the next two years, and then an annual $100 million permanently. This budget is anticipated to pass the House and be signed into law later this week.
Erion Malasi, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Economic Security Illinois responded with the following statement on behalf of the Illinois Cost-of-Living Refund Coalition:
“We commend Senate leadership for advancing a comprehensive state Child Tax Credit that will significantly benefit working families throughout Illinois. By working together with the Governor and legislative champions in the House, the proposed budget addresses families’ growing needs across our state in the face of the rising cost of living. This CTC is a major and meaningful investment that will benefit hundreds of thousands of Illinois families, empowering parents to buy essentials like groceries, diapers, or school supplies.”
* Senate President Don Harmon’s speech at the end of session tonight…
Giving remarks at the end of session is a little bit like being the last speaker at a lobby day, when you know you’re the only impediment between the members and their drinks.
But I want to take just a moment. Every session I found has its own rhythm, and each budget is its own beast, and this one was a doozy. There is no doubt about that.
I do hope that we all enjoyed our day as a unicameral legislature. However this was an incredibly productive day, a long day, but solid work. I never once had to tell anyone we were waiting for something from the House, and that made it a much easier day for all of us.
I want to thank the members of the Senate Democratic Caucus. This was a rough road, but we pulled together and got our work done. I want to thank Leader Curran and the Senate Republicans. I really appreciate what you said on the floor earlier about a genuine commitment to bipartisanship and moving our state forward. That is a shared commitment. I want everyone to thank our entire staff, our budget and policy staff, our legal staff, our communications staff. But today I do want to highlight and thank our new Deputy Chief of Staff Mike Hoffman, and in particular, our new Chief of Staff, on her maiden voyage through a budget Ashley Jenkins-Jordan. […]
And so Mr. President, as we depart five days early, I wish the House the best of luck when they return on Tuesday to complete their business, and I hope that they’ll be done by Friday.
God speed, everyone. Have a great summer. Thank you for all the work and a very productive session.
* Two Senate Democrats, Sens. Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) and Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) voted against the appropriations bill. Sen. Glowiak Hilton has not responded to requests for comment, nor has she issued a statement (I’ll let you know if she does). From Sen. Joyce…
“The budget has a lot of great aspects, and many of the issues that are important to the 40th District were addressed this year, but ultimately I could not support it.
“There were several spending issues I advocated to change that would have reduced the need for additional revenues. I would like to see continued efforts to reduce long-term debt and increases in funding for line items that would help local communities reduce property taxes and cost of living expenses. These are things we owe to middle class, hardworking Illinoisans.
“While I recognize and appreciate the efforts of my colleagues to address our state’s issues, I cannot in good conscious support a financial plan I believe falls short of adequately addressing the needs of our residents.”
* Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago) didn’t have many good things to say about the budget during debate, but he sent me this statement after voting for it…
Ultimately, I weighed the good this budget will do to the benefit of people in my district and the people of Illinois at large. While as I stated in my floor remarks, I don’t believe we go far enough to address the crisis of youth unemployment, particularly that of Black youth, we still have a lot to be proud of in this budget.
* Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) voted for the budget for I think the first time. Her statement…
“I only voted for this budget because Central Illinois will get its fair share. Our priorities are represented throughout with strong investments that generate economic development, bring good-paying jobs to our community, rebuild our roads and prioritize our hardworking families.
“Organizations like Mini O’Beirne Crisis Nursery, which provide 24-hour childcare services to Sangamon County parents, will have the opportunity to expand under this plan. Investing in critical programs, like crisis nurseries, has been a top priority of mine, and I am proud to bring this new funding to the 48th District.”
* Meanwhile, Sens. Glowiak Hilton, Joyce and Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) all voted against the revenue omnibus bill, which raises $865 million. None have yet explained why.
* Rep. John Cabello speaking on the House floor last night…
Transcript…
Ladies and gentlemen of the House. [I’ve] just been notified that we had somebody going through the cars over in the parking deck next to the Stratton. Some things have been taken out of some of the cars. So if you park over there, please make sure you check your vehicle. Luckily, they caught the person and have arrested them.
This goes to my point of safety from yesterday. The Secretary of State needs to put cameras for our safety, for your safety, for your family safety, and anybody that visit this campus. Do it and do it quickly. Thank you.
I reached out to the Secretary of State’s office today and was told that cameras and call boxes have been planned for that parking garage. “That was always the plan, not reactive to this.”
* Rep. Jennifer Sanalitro’s car was one of those broken into last night…
Rich -
Rep. Sanalitro asked me to send you a message regarding her car being broken into this evening around 6PM while she was parked in her assigned space in the Capitol Complex parking garage.
With session expected to go well into the night, she is urging staff and members to be safe while returning to their cars. She also is extending her thanks to the Secretary of State Capital Police for their prompt and professional response.
Just a brief follow up point of personal privilege to what the previous speaker said. So not only did this person break into cars, they also made threats to the owner of that car. I want everybody to know that this person will probably be out in a couple hours. So make sure you lock your cars now before they get out.
The Secretary of State’s office and Sanalitro’s comms person confirmed that Alicia M Jones was the one arrested. And according to the sheriff’s website, she’s still in jail.
…Adding… As of this afternoon, she appears to be out of jail.
* Peter Hancock at Capitol News Illinois has been ably following the governor’s proposed health insurance changes this spring and the last time I saw him at a Pritzker press conference, he asked very informed questions. His latest from yesterday…
A package of health insurance reform measures that Gov. JB Pritzker called for at the beginning of the legislative session will soon be headed to his desk for his signature.
The Illinois House gave final approval Saturday to a pair of bills that limit the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage or steer individuals toward lower cost, and sometimes less effective, treatments and medications, strategies sometimes referred to as “utilization management.”
The package also includes measures giving the Illinois Department of Insurance authority to approve or deny premium rate changes in large-group health insurance plans while banning the sale of short-term, limited duration individual health plans, which are sometimes derisively referred to as “junk insurance.”
* Meanwhile, WAND TV reporter Mike Miletich has been killing it lately. Dude is churning out multiple informative stories a day. One from yesterday…
State representatives passed a plan Saturday that could drastically improve maternal healthcare for Black women in Illinois.
The legislation requires private insurance companies to cover maternal services provided by midwives, doulas and lactation consultants. Private insurance companies would be required to cover home births, home visits and support during labor, abortion or miscarriage as well.
The proposal was a top priority for Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton.
“This bill empowers Illinois women to make holistic choices for their birth experience, which is especially important for Black mothers who face unacceptably high rates of complications and mortality,” Stratton said.
* Blog favorite Tina Sfondeles is back in Springfield to cover the rest of the session. Excerpt from her latest…
Meanwhile, Senate changes to an approved House measure that would reform the embattled Illinois Prisoner Review Board ruffled some feathers in the governor’s office.
The initial plan — in response to the killing of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins — would require board members to complete an annual training program about domestic violence and for board members to notify any registered victims of a crime when the offender of such crime is being released from state custody, among other reforms.
It would also require the board to indicate whether any reports included prior convictions of a domestic violence offense within the last five years — and would set up a task force to make recommendations to the General Assembly.
Senate changes included making all hearings available to the public for live broadcast on the board’s website and available to watch for a minimum of 18 months.
The governor’s office does not support that aspect, arguing it would require new technology and additional staffing. The office is instead pushing for the issue to be delayed and taken up by the newly set up task force. They are also concerned about the bill’s reliance on information from a Law Enforcement Agencies Data System, or LEADS report, which may not be up-to-date and may not include the information they’re seeking. Pritzker’s office has also argued that some of the sought reforms are already “standard practice.”
“The PRB is committed to increasing transparency. Hearings are currently open and records of the hearings are available via FOIA,” governor’s office spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in a statement. “It is an immense challenge to do nearly 5,000 parole revocation hearings a year and we would prefer to be a part of the conversation on how best to increase transparency instead of having requirements the board will not be able to fulfill foisted upon them.”
The governor’s office on Saturday stated that it is working on an executive order that would mirror the changes enacted in the House measure.
* I met Tribune reporter Olivia Olander for the first time yesterday. Her informative story on the governor’s health insurance reform package today is definitely worth a read. Excerpt…
One of the key provisions in the legislation passed by lawmakers would put prohibitions on what is known as step therapy, in which insurers require patients to try a different, often cheaper, alternative before treatment recommended by doctors. The practice has been decried by doctors and patients who say it can delay necessary care, allowing patients’ condition to worsen; the insurance industry has framed it as a cost-saving measure.
In the version that passed in both chambers, the step therapy provisions for prescription drugs apply to medications already covered within insurance plans, Laura Minzer, president of the Illinois Life and Health Insurance Council, said Saturday.
For example, if a doctor wanted a patient to try Ozempic, it could be immediately prescribed if it was already on the list of medications covered by the patient’s insurance.
If Ozempic wasn’t on that list, there would still be an additional process to try to get an exemption, such as for cases where the patient had been on a particular medication successfully for a long time. That process keeps costs down, Minzer said.
The step therapy provision, along with many of the others in the bill, goes into effect in 2026.
* Another blog favorite, Capitol News Illinois reporter Hannah Meisel, is also a must-follow on Twitter…
Sportsbooks operators are threatening the nuclear button. A source close to DraftKings and FanDuel says that “all options are on the table, including withdrawing from the state.”
The minimum tax rate as part of HB 4951 is 20%, an increase from the current 15% rate at all levels of operator adjusted gross revenue. The threshold increases to 25% at $30 million in adjusted gross revenue; 30% over $50 million; 35% over $100 million; and 40% over $200 million.
Of the eight mobile sports betting operators currently in Illinois, only FanDuel ($429.3 million) and DraftKings ($350 million) would reach that maximum 40% threshold based on their last 12 months of winnings.
BetRivers ($81.1 million) and Fanatics Sportsbook ($51.7 million) are the only other operators that would cross into the 30% threshold, but ESPN BET likely would reach that benchmark as well in a full 12-month span.
…Adding… Update…
* I’m sure I’ve missed some solid stuff in this post. For instance, Jerry Nowicki of Capitol News Illinois has been tweeting out lots of Statehouse info.
“Menu prices are sure to increase, making restaurant visits less appetizing. We’re also wondering: Will customers continue to eat out as often and tip generously — or at all — when prices increase and service charges and other fees are added to bills? And what about those servers who already make more than minimum wage because of tips, especially in bustling, high-end establishments? Nationally, according to a 2022 survey by the National Restaurant Association, tipped workers make an average of $27 an hour.”
* Jerry Nowicki‘s recap of the Senate Appropriations hearing this morning…
* Sen. Sims said there will likely be a third amendment to the budget introduced on the floor. The budget’s bill number is SB251….
Sen. Elgie Sims: Based on technical changes that have been identified we can expect another amendment [to the budget]. Again, I expect that amendment to be technical in nature. But I would expect a minimum of three.
Sen. Rose: So it should be called to the floor directly?
Sims: Correct.
* The BIMP will be moved to HB4959, SA2, though language has not yet been introduced as I write this.
…Adding…Subscribers were told more about yesterday’s House member deficit early today…
Part of the reason, or most of the reason, the House left is because they were short on the members needed (three-fifths) for a bond authorization bill due to attendance. Senate might have to find a vehicle for this language - if they havent yet https://t.co/RR6MsmZNiS
Reporter: The House is down like 10 people. I guess [their attendance is] going back up tomorrow. Do you see any need to run the bonding authority bill in the Senate before it goes to the House?
Harmon: We’re going to coordinate with the House, we’ll make sure that both chambers are in full agreement on which Bill starts where. We’ve worked very well in collaboration with the House through this whole process. We’re going to continue that to the bitter end.
…Adding… Al Llorens, president of the Illinois Education Association…
“At a time when Illinois is experiencing a statewide teacher shortage, it is incomprehensible that funding for vital educator support programs are absent from the current budget proposal. Sadly, two such programs — the teacher pipeline program Educators Rising and the Illinois Virtual Instructional Coach and Mentoring Program — have been left out of this version of the budget.
Educators Rising focuses on introducing high school students to the education profession and builds the mindset and skills essential for aspiring educators to enter a quality educator preparation program. The Virtual Instructional Coach and Building Mentor Program is an essential wraparound professional support for clinicians and teachers in the first three years of their careers wherein new educators are paired with a trained virtual coach to receive support and feedback. It also provides high quality professional development and allows new teachers to access a vast content and resource library. This ensures a higher rate of educator retention among early career educators for our state. In fact, more than 90 percent of educators in the program have been retained because of the critical support the program provides.
A budget that does not include funding for Educators Rising and the Virtual Instructional Coach and Building Mentor Program is detrimental to public education, to our students, and to the future of the state of Illinois.”
Sunday, May 26, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.
* ICYMI: Budget negotiations will extend into next week as House leaves Springfield. Capitol New Illinois…
Democrats in the General Assembly will go at least three more days past their self-imposed adjournment deadline after failing to pass a budget bill Saturday, although the spending and revenue framework were made public for the first time.
“The House and Senate are very close to an agreement on a final budget,” House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office said in a statement late Saturday night announcing the chamber would adjourn through the holiday weekend.
The Senate was planning to return to the floor Sunday.
The tentative budget measures – all or most of which are expected to be further amended before they clear the General Assembly – tracked closely with the governor’s roughly $53 billion February budget proposal. But there were several deviations from Pritzker’s plan, so full spending estimates were not available Saturday.
*** Isabel’s Top Pick ***
* AP | A 19th century flag disrupts leadership at an Illinois museum and prompts a state investigation: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is once again under the spotlight after a manager failed to consult a collections committee before purchasing a 21-star flag whose description as a rare banner marking Illinois’ 1818 admission to the Union is disputed. The flag’s acquisition through an online auction for more than $15,000 precipitated an investigation by Illinois’ Office of the Executive Inspector General about money used for the purchase. The purchase also led to division in the Springfield museum’s leadership and may have prompted the firing of an employee who said the acquisition skirted procedures.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Sun-Times | Lawmakers clear major healthcare reforms — but House adjourns for holiday weekend with no budget: “Procedurally, the earliest an agreement could pass both chambers is next week,” Welch said in a statement. “To let members and staff rest and spend time with family, we are adjourning for the holiday weekend and will return to complete this work.” Prior to the House announcement, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, told reporters the Senate planned to be in session on Sunday.
* Tribune | Legislature won’t act on Bears’ stadium funding request this spring, lawmakers say: Despite the full backing of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who stood with team officials when they unveiled their proposal last month, the Bears’ plan received a cool reception in Springfield. […] Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office called the team’s latest bid to stay in Chicago a “non-starter” in its initial form, and the team’s efforts to round up support among legislative leaders and rank-and-file lawmakers were met with reactions ranging from firm and outspoken opposition to indifference.
* Sports Handle | Illinois Lawmaker Proposes Progressive Tax Rate For Sports Betting: The minimum tax rate as part of HB 4951 is 20%, an increase from the current 15% rate at all levels of operator adjusted gross revenue. The threshold increases to 25% at $30 million in adjusted gross revenue; 30% over $50 million; 35% over $100 million; and 40% over $200 million. Of the eight mobile sports betting operators currently in Illinois, only FanDuel ($429.3 million) and DraftKings ($350 million) would reach that maximum 40% threshold based on their last 12 months of winnings.
*** It’s Almost a Law ***
* WTVO | Stadelman’s bill to support local journalism heads to Pritzker’s desk: The bill would create the Journalism Student Scholarship Program to support students pursuing careers in Illinois journalism. The measure would also require all local news organizations to notify the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and employees 120 days before a sale occurs. This requirement hopes to keep publications local, instead of publications being sold to private equity firms.
* Capitol News Illinois | Health insurance changes targeting ‘utilization management,’ more will head to governor: The Illinois House gave final approval Saturday to a pair of bills that limit the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage or steer individuals toward lower cost, and sometimes less effective, treatments and medications, strategies sometimes referred to as “utilization management.” The package also includes measures giving the Illinois Department of Insurance authority to approve or deny premium rate changes in large-group health insurance plans while banning the sale of short-term, limited duration individual health plans, which are sometimes derisively referred to as “junk insurance.”
* WAND | Illinois House passes Healthcare Protection Act, sends monumental plan to Pritzker: Gov. JB Pritzker’s monumental plan could make Illinois the first state to ban prior authorization for in-patient adult and children’s mental healthcare. The legislation also bans step therapy, or the fail first method, where insurers force people to receive less effective treatment before moving to options initially recommended by doctors.
* WCIA | Mahomet Aquifer concerns dominate House floor discussion on carbon capture bill: Bill sponsor Rep. Ann Williams also sponsored the state’s revolutionary climate and Equitable Jobs Act. That set the state on a mission to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. She said that while the Mahomet Aquifer was not directly excluded from the law, it was adequately protected by a long list of regulations within the law.
* Personal PAC…
Following is a statement from Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick on [yesterday’s] Illinois House vote, passing HB5142:
“By passing HB5142, the Governor’s Birth Equity Bill, our state is taking a big stride in addressing the unacceptable health outcome disparities between Black women and all other families.
“This bill is groundbreaking because it positions abortion care as inseparable from the full spectrum of pregnancy, postpartum, and newborn care. We work with providers and advocates every day who know this is the reality. All Illinois families deserve the care that this bill provides, regardless of their income level.
“We are grateful to Senate President Don Harmon, Senate leadership, chief co-sponsor, Senator Lakeisa Collins, as well as Speaker Chris Welch and House chief co-sponsor Rep. Robyn Gabel for their work and collaboration.
“We also thank Governor JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton for championing HB5142 as part of their maternal health equity budget initiatives.”
*** Statewide ***
* Tribune | Illinois Republicans go all in for Trump at state convention: The southwestern Illinois setting for the 2024 Illinois GOP convention was apt for a political organization that has seen its statewide influence dwindle along geographic lines, leaving Republicans strongest in rural, less populated areas downstate while Democrats have grown beyond their traditional strongholds in Chicago to include the once GOP-rich collar counties.
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | Chicago honors fallen soldiers and their families at downtown Memorial Day parade, wreath-laying ceremony: Contrary to the often celebratory nature of Memorial Day, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Zeita Merchant reminded the hundreds gathered outside the Daley Center downtown that it’s a solemn day of observance for families and friends of armed service members who lost their lives defending the country. “Our Gold Star families .. reflect on the face and the voice that they ache to see and hear once more,” she said. “The one day we tell the stories of men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
* WBEZ | Uptown was once a vibrant hub for Chicago’s Native American community: Native people have always been in Chicago, despite continued attempts to remove them that culminated in the 1833 Treaty of Chicago. Still, Chicago remains an important place for Native Americans in the region. The Chicago metro area has the third-largest urban Native American population in the United States, estimated to be around 65,000, according to the American Indian Center (AIC). While there isn’t one concentrated neighborhood anymore, Uptown on the city’s North Side used to be that nucleus.
* Sun-Times | White Sox’ bullpen spoils Erick Fedde’s outing in 5-3 loss to Orioles: All reliever Michael Kopech could do was watch with his right hand on his hip as his fastball traveled in the air for a solo home run by Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg in the eighth inning. After the homer, fans grew restless. They had watched the White Sox’ three-run lead evaporate Saturday in a 5-3 loss.
* Sun-Times | Sky home opener spoiled by 86-82 loss to Sun: For three quarters, the Sky (2-2) looked to be on the verge of beating undefeated teams in back-to-back games. In the final 10 minutes, however, missed rebounds and poor execution resulted in an 86-82 loss to the Sun. The Sky were outscored 27-4 on second-chance points and outrebounded 38-21.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Tribune | Naperville, St. Charles, Winnetka and dozens of other communities urged to double down on coal: Naperville, St. Charles, Winnetka and 29 downstate municipalities are investors in the Prairie State Generating Station, a massive coal-fired power plant in southern Illinois that last year spewed 12.4 million tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — more than only six other electricity providers in the United States. The Illinois cities, towns and villages are under contract until 2035 to purchase a share of Prairie State’s electricity and help pay off $5 billion in construction debt. But instead of preparing to quickly shift away from the fossil fuel, like scores of other utilities across the country are doing, the Illinois communities could end up relying on Prairie State and another coal plant in Kentucky for most of their electricity until at least 2050.
* BND | St. Clair County has the most women veterans per capita in Illinois: St. Clair County has the greatest number of women veterans per 1,000 women in the Land of Lincoln at 32.61. Monroe County comes in second with 18.36 women veterans per 1,000 women, according to data from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics.
*** National ***
* NYT | How a Profane Joke on Twitter Spawned a Legal Army: Here’s one way to build a legal team: Interview graduates from the top law schools or firms, then hire the most qualified. Akiva Cohen, a trial lawyer at a small New York firm, tried a different way: Spend way too much time on Twitter, talking trash about other lawyers’ cases, then hire the people who post the smartest, most biting comments.
* AP | 5 things to know about Memorial Day, including its evolution and controversies: Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers. But for people such as Manuel Castañeda Jr., the day is very personal. He lost his father, a U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam, in an accident in 1966 in California while his father was training other Marines.
* Senate President Don Harmon did an impromptu gaggle with reporters tonight on his way to a caucus meeting…
Reporter: Will there be any votes on budget bills tonight?
President Harmon: I doubt that but we’re going to caucus right now to discuss the schedule for today and tomorrow.
Reporter: So you will be here tomorrow, in session?
Harmon: We’re planning to be here tomorrow in session.
Reporter: Any plan beyond that? Sunday, Monday, Tuesday?
Harmon: I’m hoping the Senate will be able to wrap up its business tomorrow.
Reporter: What are the sticking points right now?
Harmon: Time.
Reporter: An amendment hasn’t dropped yet, what is the..?
Harmon: We agreed from the start that the House and the Senate would agree to every word and every number in the budget before filing. We are very close to that with the next amendment. We’re talking to both of our caucuses and we’ll move forward after that.
Reporter: What is the situation with the transit money coming out of the Road Fund? Local 150 is opposed to this, they seem to believe that they have been able to stall the budget over this. Do you think that can be overcome?
Harmon: I do. I do. I think it’s important to remember that a significant chunk of the Road Fund is dedicated to mass transit. We’d like to emphasize that the money going to the RTA for mass transit is coming from the portion of the Road Fund that supports mass transit, and not taking money away from the roads.
Reporter: The House is down like 10 people. I guess they’re going back up tomorrow. Do you see any need to run the bonding authority bill in the Senate before it goes to the House?
Harmon: We’re going to coordinate with the House, we’ll make sure that both chambers are in full agreement on which Bill starts where. We’ve worked very well in collaboration with the House through this whole process. We’re going to continue that to the bitter end.
Reporter: Will the Senate take up that prisoner review board measure?
Harmon: I expect so but I haven’t talked to the caucus.
Reporter: What about the Chicago School Board bill? There’s been some pushback.
Harmon: I need to talk to the caucus about that as well. Let me get the caucus since we’re late already. Thank you all appreciate it.
*** Adding ***
* The paper release…
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch released the following statement Saturday:
“The House and Senate are very close to an agreement on a final budget. Procedurally, the earliest an agreement could pass both chamber is next week. To let members and staff rest and spend time with family, we are adjourning for the holiday weekend and will return to complete this work.”
Miller (no relation): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to speak to this bill.
Leader Barbara Hernandez: Would you like her to yield sir?
Miller (no relation): No, I just want to talk about this bill.
Leader Hernandez: To the bill.
Miller (no relation): Thank you, Madame Speaker. You know, I think that one of the things that I’ve done over the last 50 years is I’m a farmer, and I raise cattle. And when we’re raising cattle, I raise a lot of bulls, you know, and after listening to all this stuff, my ol’ BS meter’s going, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING! Because what we’re seeing here is a myth about climate change…
Saturday, May 25, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Current merchant point of sales and card processors systems can’t separate tax from a purchase when applying processing fees and it may take several years for these systems to get updated. The proposed budget deal that would require separation of interchange fees on the sales tax portion of electronic transactions could mean consumers will have to swipe a credit or debit card twice for a purchase or worse, pay the tax portion in cash. In no uncertain terms – it would be a major disruption to the current electronic payments system in place today.
This proposal and disruption to the current system would undoubtedly affect Illinois consumers and beyond. How will constituents, tourists coming to the state this summer, and attendees at the DNC in August react to an overhaul in the way they conduct transactions? This could create a huge embarrassment to Illinois and require immediate retraction. Why take the risk? In the past 17 years there’s been 58 bills in other states trying to remove interchange fees from the state and local sales tax portion of debit and credit card purchases…none have passed because it’s a bad idea. Although this proposal is included in a potential budget deal, there is NO impact to the state budget based upon this component. It simply puts more money in the pockets of Illinois retailers.
The current interchange system in Illinois works. Illinois legislators should reject budget deals that increase profit to big box retailers.
* From Rich: Click here for our end of session cheat sheet. This live coverage software is not automated like the old one was, and today is Isabel’s first time handling these duties. She’s good at everything she does, but help her out in comments, please. Thanks…
Saturday, May 25, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Protect Illinois Hospitality is a coalition of tipped workers, chambers of commerce, service operators, and local small businesses who strongly support keeping the tip credit available for Illinois businesses.
CLAIM: An Illinois bill would change how individuals who committed criminal offenses are referred to under state law, replacing “offender” with “justice-impacted individual.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. The bill, HB 4409, would not relabel all people who commit crimes as justice-impacted individuals — just those in the state’s Adult Redeploy Illinois program. Adult Redeploy Illinois is intended to reduce incarceration, in part, by placing individuals with any probation-eligible offense in community corrections programs rather than in prison. […]
“HB4409 represents a small change to an incredibly successful diversion program that simply seeks to better reflect the program’s intention,” State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “Those who choose to fan the flames of misinformation and fearmongering do all of us a disservice. Focusing on semantics rather than substance is an insult to everyone’s intelligence.” […]
HB 4409 was passed by the Illinois state Senate on Tuesday after passing the House on April 16. In addition to the name change, it stipulates that an oversight board for Adult Redeploy Illinois will include two individuals who participated in programs funded by the initiative and adjusts how funding for Adult Redeploy Illinois is allocated.
Illinois could soon join a handful of states with digital IDs and driver’s licenses.
House Bill 4592, introduced by Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), passed by a unanimous vote in the state senate Friday. The bill cleared the state House of Representatives earlier this week and now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker for his signature.
The legislation would not eliminate physical driver’s licenses but would allow the state to offer them as a companion to a physical card. […]
Some Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints are equipped to accept digital IDs, with support expanding.
State lawmakers are sending a plan to the governor’s office to create new funeral home regulations in response to the mishandling of human remains at the Heinz Funeral Home in Carlinville.
The Integrity in Death Care Act would create an identification system for all human remains to ensure funeral homes never mishandle human remains again.
Anyone intentionally violating preparation room procedures and rules could face a Class 4 felony. People engaging in funeral directing or embalming without a license would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. […]
Senate Bill 2643 passed unanimously out of the Senate Friday and previously gained unanimous support in the House.
A bill heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk could help make schools safer through new student discipline procedures.
The Illinois House passed legislation Friday to require the Illinois State Board of Education to draft and publish guidance for development of reciprocal reporting systems between schools and law enforcement.
This measure also calls on ISBE to publish guidance for re-engagement of students suspended, expelled or returning from an alternative school setting. […]
Senate Bill 1400 passed out of the House on a 106-5 vote. It previously passed out of the Senate on a 54-2 vote.
* Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar…
State Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar, D-Chicago, is expanding career opportunities for mental health professionals by passing legislation eliminating non-compete agreements for those who serve veterans and first responders.
Guerrero-Cuellar championed Senate Bill 2737 which prohibits non-compete and non-solicitation agreements for mental health services that support veterans and first responders. Current agreements would be void if they result in an undue burden on veterans or first responders seeking mental health services from licensed mental health professionals.
“Ensuring our communities have the personnel ready to aid and save lives is critical, but often you have competing organizations cornering the market and preventing employed personnel from doing their jobs. This puts everyday Illinoisans in danger,” Guerrero-Cuellar said. “Barring non-compete, non-solicitation agreements means more of our professionals can remain in the field, responding to emergencies and protecting us. While it’s unfortunate that some organizations have stifled emergency response, this legislation will make sure these personnel are there when we need them.”
The Illinois State Senate passed a bill to phase out fluorescent lighting on May 24th.
The switch to LEDs will save Illinois consumers more than $1.5 billion on utility bills, avoid 2.2M metric tons of CO2 emissions by cutting energy waste and prevent 419 pounds of mercury pollution by 2050, according to the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. […]
Illinois will become the 10th state to pass clean lighting policies after Minnesota passed similar legislation last week.
“Energy efficiency is the foundation of the clean energy transition. The cheapest, cleanest energy is the energy we don’t use,” said Illinois PIRG State Director Abe Scarr. “We thank Senator Johnson and Representative Nicholas Smith for their leadership on this important policy.”
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
State Senator Rachel Ventura advanced legislation that passed both chambers on Friday to address surplus state-owned properties by curating a report on its condition.
“We have an obligation to address the numerous state-owned properties that have either been vacant or unused, which in turn wastes taxpayer dollars through maintenance and security costs,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “This legislation will give us insight into each property’s maintenance and demolition costs to consider what to do with them in the future.”
Senate Bill 381 would require the Director of the Department of Central Management Services to assess surplus real property held by the State and determine whether or not the property is unsellable in its current condition.
Additionally, the director is required to submit a report, beginning on Feb. 1, 2025 and every other year, detailing the assessment to the governor and General Assembly. The report will include the annual state maintenance costs for said properties and attempts to sell the properties as well as the estimated demolition and remediation costs at the time of the last attempted sale. […]
The Senate concurred to Senate Bill 381 on Friday. It now heads to the governor for further consideration.
The Illinois House voted unanimously Friday to pass a plan requiring DCFS caseworkers to develop hair care plans with youth in care and their foster parents.
Members of the DCFS Youth Advisory Board worked with lawmakers to make this recommendation into legislation. They stressed that Black children are often placed with families or in residential settings where they aren’t allowed to wear their hair in ways that represent their cultural background. […]
The plan would allow DCFS to adopt rules to facilitate implementation of the changes, including responsibilities of caseworkers and placement plan specialists in developing the hair care plan, engaging parents regarding the hair care needs of youth and procedures to follow if the parents cannot be contacted, and factors to consider in granting children increased autonomy over hair care decisions.
House Bill 5097 passed unanimously out of the House Friday. It previously passed out of the Senate on a 49-9 vote. The proposal now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.
* Sen. Mike Porfirio And Rep. Stephanie Kifowit…
To protect our nation’s veterans from predatory business practices, State Senator Mike Porfirio and State Representative Stephanie Kifowit championed legislation through the General Assembly aimed at combating unaccredited companies that target veterans by offering benefits in exchange for financial compensation. […]
Common predatory practices include guaranteeing an increased disability rating or percentage increase, advertising expedited VA claims decisions, requesting login credentials to access a veteran’s personal information through secure VA websites and more. Senate Bill 3479 would combat deceptive business practices by ensuring transparency regarding these businesses’ lack of VA accreditation. To offer better consumer transparency, Porfirio’s legislation requires these entities to disclose that their businesses are neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Under the measure, which is a legislative priority of Veterans of Foreign Wars at both the state and federal level, veterans would be better informed about the services offered to them, reducing the risk of misleading or fraudulent advice. The goal is to protect veterans from these deceptive practices and establish a more secure environment when they are seeking assistance related to their veteran or military benefits. […]
Carbon capture and sequestration projects have been hot button issues in Central Illinois for years, and now lawmakers in the state capitol are trying to address it.
Proposed pipeline projects like the Navigator pipeline through Sangamon County and the Wolf/ADM pipeline ending near Decatur faced major backlash from residents due to the lack of regulations. Legislators believe they have the fix.
Some of the components of the bill include companies needing to prove their project will catch the carbon and not store it underground. It also creates more stringent rules carbon dioxide pipeline projects, versus other carbon sequestration projects. Finally, the bill puts in place a moratorium on all multi-state pipelines. […]
Not everyone is on board with the bill. The Illinois Farm Bureau still opposes the bill, as companies can use a version of eminent domain, even though companies would have to complete multiple steps first before claiming a farmer’s land.
The bill passed out of the committee Friday afternoon 21-7-1. It now heads to the House floor.
The Illinois hemp industry is in a frenzy over new legislation moving forward in Springfield that business owners say will put popular products out of reach and push the THC lounges and CBD shops that dot Chicago-area neighborhoods out of business. […]
[P]roducts like CBD lotions and infused drinks and treats made with THC derived from hemp are seemingly in a legal gray area under which businesses using hemp-derived THC have proliferated.
State Sen. Kim Lightford, D-Maywood, said that’s harming Illinois’ tightly-regulated cannabis industry and undermining the state’s goals to use the law to lift up people of color disproportionally harmed by the war on drugs. To be part of the legal marijuana industry, businesses had to compete for coveted – and expensive – licenses, with priority going to social equity applicants. […]
Lightford, the sponsor of the measure (House Bill 4293), which passed out of a Senate committee Thursday night, asks of the businesses: “Why did you go into the hemp business if you wanted to sell weed?”
Illinois lawmakers are addressing a growing form of cyberbullying in schools involving artificial intelligence.
The House passed House Bill 299 that would amend the Illinois school code to include sexually explicit digital depictions of students under the definition of cyberbullying.
State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, said the images generated by AI could have lasting effects on a young person. […]
A state bill that would prevent changes to Chicago’s selective enrollment schools and block the district from closing schools until 2027 appears to have stalled in the final scheduled hours of the legislative session.
The lack of movement comes after Mayor Brandon Johnson sent a letter to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon asking him not to call the bill for a final vote, arguing it “seeks to solve problems that do not exist.”
The situation is a win so far for Johnson, whose appointed Board of Education is mulling changes to the district’s school choice system and recently rolled out a new budget formula.
State Rep. Margaret Croke, a Democrat representing Chicago’s north side neighborhoods, filed the bill earlier this year that would prevent the board from making changes to admission requirements or cutting funding for selective enrollment schools until a fully elected school board is in place in 2027. She later added an amendment that would extend the moratorium on school closures and prevent any school from shuttering until 2027.
One lawmaker believes she can get everyone on board with her bill to make reforms to the Prisoner Review Board.
The proposal has already passed the Illinois House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support. […]
State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) said she’s worked with both sides of the aisle to come up with a bill she believes everyone can agree on. […]
The bill would make several reforms, including mandatory domestic violence training for board members every year, with focuses on areas like the legal process regarding orders of protection and the dynamics of gender based violence.
* ICYMI: Illinois Senate pitches budget, but talks continue into holiday weekend as Democrats struggle to reach consensus. Tribune…
- Senate Democrats filed a 3,374-page plan about 5 p.m. Friday but hours later hadn’t held a committee hearing or floor vote.
- Flagship spending proposals the governor laid out in his February budget address were part of the Senate measure released Friday, which Pritzker spokesman Alex Gough said reflected “an agreement in principal” among the governor, Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch
- Despite ongoing uncertainty, a few details emerged Friday on the discussions between Pritzker and Democratic legislative leaders.
* WAND | Legislative session helps pick up business in Springfield: “Typically when session is going on we see higher occupancy rates through the city of Springfield,” said Darin Dame, the President of the Springfield Hotel and Lodging Association. “We always want to see if they can stay another night to go visit the visitor sites or have a convention here.” Dame said the goal is to connect with legislators so they come back for a future vacation, or stay there when they return for legislative work.
* WBEZ | CPS selective enrollment bill dead in Springfield after Johnson letter to Senate president: Johnson sent a letter to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon on Thursday asking him to hold House Bill 303, which had already passed the Illinois House and needed a final vote in the Senate. The mayor’s public pledge that he would not close or otherwise harm selective enrollment schools meant the bill would no longer be called in the Senate as the spring legislative session ends, according to two sources who were granted anonymity to share details about the legislative process. The bill could be revived in the fall veto session if the mayor reneges on his promises.
* Tribune | Lawmakers angry about NRG plan to only cap Waukegan plant’s ponds; ‘They’re hypocrites, and … don’t want to be held accountable’: Now required by the EPA to deal with a Coal Combustion Residuals Management Unit at the Waukegan site known as the grassy area, state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Gurnee, hoped NRG would remove two coal ash ponds rather than the utility’s previously announced plan to cap one and remove the other. […] NRG disclosed in an email Thursday it is developing an application to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to approve its plan to cap both coal ash ponds at its Waukegan generating station now used only for backup purposes.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Tribune | Lawmakers vote to name Loop high-rise after former Secretary of State Jesse White: Lawmakers voted to name a state-owned Loop office building after Illinois’ longest-serving secretary of state, Jesse White. Set to turn 90 next month, White stood in the House chamber earlier this month before lawmakers voted to name the high-rise at 115 S. LaSalle St. the Jesse White State of Illinois Building. The resolution’s main sponsor, state Rep. Harry Benton, noted the rarity of a state building being named after someone who is still alive.
* Capitol News Illinois | Measure targets ‘legacy’ admission at public universities: Senate Bill 462 would prohibit public higher education institutions from admitting applicants based on “legacy status” or relationships to donors, effective upon becoming law. […] It passed both houses unanimously and needs only a signature from the governor to become law.
* SJ-R | Lawmakers pass 2 bills strengthening child labor laws in Illinois. What you need to know: Senate Bill 3646 introduced by Peters is designed to strengthen up and remodel the general labor laws of the state. The bill includes rules about the number of hours a minor can work during school days and weekends. A minor can’t work more than eight hours on weekends during the school year, and depending on the job they can only work a certain number of hours on a school day. If an employer were to violate the rules they may receive various fines.
*** Statewide ***
* SJ-R | Illinois took in nearly $70M on marijuana sales in the final quarter of 2023: Twenty-three states, along with Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana and generated more than $3 billion in tax revenue in 2022. In the final quarter of 2023, the states that generated the most revenue took in a combined $457.7 million.
* Press Release | Illinois’ spring turkey hunters harvest record number of wild turkeys: Illinois hunters harvested a preliminary statewide record total of 17,208 wild turkeys during the 2024 Illinois spring turkey season. This year’s total compares with the 2023 statewide harvest of 16,123 and the previous harvest record total of 16,569, set during the spring season in 2006.
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | Mayor Johnson, CPD announce Chicago’s summer safety plan ahead of Memorial Day weekend: Officials also encouraged parents to be watchful of their children once school lets out. It was unclear if Johnson planned to implement a youth curfew downtown, a tactic employed over the past two summers. In May 2022, a 16-year-old was fatally shot near the Bean, leading to a temporary ban on unaccompanied minors in the Millennium Park after 6 p.m.
* WGN | Citing lack of ‘allies,’ mayor’s nominee to RTA board withdraws from consideration: Still, Acree’s nomination was passed by the committee 14 to 2, with the two no votes coming from Ald. Scott Waguespack of the 32nd Ward and Ald. Andre Vasquez of the 40th Ward. At the time, they said it was because Johnson’s staff had not prepared Acree for the meeting. “Our city is in need of leadership with the expertise and fiscal background to deal with the issues we are facing in this Johnson Administration,” Waguespack told WGN via text message. “There was no discernable vision for public transportation laid out in the appointment process by the appointee or the 5th floor and we have yet to hear one.”
* Sun-Times | ComEd flips the switch on Bronzeville microgrid in latest push for electric power: One of the country’s first solar-powered electric grids of its kind is now operating in Bronzeville, and there are already plans to replicate the project in northern Illinois. City and state leaders as well as officials from the U.S. Department of Energy gathered Friday at the Chicago Housing Authority’s Dearborn Homes to flip the switch on the Bronzeville Community Microgrid, part of a larger push to make Bronzeville one of ComEd’s “smart communities.”
* Crain’s | West Loop assessments show Kaegi’s rosier view of downtown offices: A Crain’s analysis of newly released assessments for more than two dozen prominent West Loop office buildings showed that recent valuations dropped by an average of just under 16% compared with Kaegi’s final estimates in 2021, the last time his office assessed all of downtown.
* Tribune | Chicago White Sox suffer another loss to Baltimore Orioles, falling 6-4 to drop 22 games under .500: The Chicago White Sox first baseman on Thursday was ruled out on an interference call near second base, part of a controversial ending in a loss. On Friday, he hit a solo home run to even the score in the seventh inning. “(Orioles reliever Yennier Cano has) got a demon sinker, it’s really good,” Vaughn said. “Just tried to go up there and make a good swing on a good pitch.”
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Southtown | Cook County program to fund infrastructure, projects throughout south suburbs: The Build Up Cook program “aims to extend a helping hand to municipalities most in need,” according to the county. The county identified 46 projects in 22 communities, primarily in the south and west suburbs, for funding. With a $30.5 million total budget from American Rescue Plan Act Funds, the county said construction on projects can begin immediately and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
* Daily Herald | Accountability, education keys to stemming campus antisemitism, say suburban undergraduates: The Highland Park Democrat opened the forum defending a person’s right to speak freely “no matter how much I disagree … But when it crosses the line to intimidation, harassment, isolation, exclusion,” he said, the administration has an obligation to speak out. University of Michigan student Hannah Dalinka agreed. “People have a right to free speech, but a lot of what’s happening on our college campuses is beyond free speech.”
* Crain’s | ‘Home Alone’ house for sale in Winnetka: This is only the second time the house has been on the market since the movie was shot in the late 1980s. It joins another North Shore home with a cinematic past that went up for sale in recent weeks. The Kenilworth house that appeared in the Steve Martin and John Candy movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” is on the market at just under $2.5 million.
*** Downstate ***
* News-Gazette | County board votes to censure Danos: After at least a month of discussion on the subject, the Champaign County Board has voted to censure county auditor George Danos for alleged failure to act as an “independent watchdog” of taxpayer funds and actions “unbecoming an elected official.” The Champaign County Board voted Thursday night to approve the censure resolution.
* WIFR | Winnebago Co. Board considers area-wide license plate readers: On Thursday, the Winnebago County Board votes on a five-year agreement bringing license plate readers across the area. The expansion in law enforcement technology arrives as the city of Rockford, Loves Park and Machesney Park have used them for years. “We put that in, if it goes through one of these LPRs, it flags immediately real-time, immediately,” says Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana.
* QC | Mississippi River at Rock Island expected to exceed 13-foot action stage by Friday: Due to the recent heavy rains the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 15, Rock Island, is expected to exceed its 13-foot action stage by next Friday, said Meteorologist Andy Ervin of the National Weather Service, Davenport. […] However, that forecast did not account for the observed rainfall that fell Friday, May 24, or the predicted rainfall that is expected to fall Saturday night into Sunday. An updated forecast will be available on Saturday.
* WAND | I-57 SB near Pesotum reopens after crash that caused 4 deaths: Illinois State Police Troop 7 was on the scene around milepost 212 where a truck-tractor semi-trailer was traveling northbound and crossed the median into southbound traffic. At least four people have been confirmed dead and one has been seriously injured.
One issue on which there appears to be broad agreement is repealing the 1% statewide sales tax on groceries. Ditching the tax won’t affect the state’s bottom line because the money all goes to local governments. […]
To make up for the lost revenue, municipalities — both those with broader home rule powers to raise taxes on their own and non-home-rule communities — would be granted the ability to levy their own 1% tax on groceries. Towns without home rule would be given the ability to tack on an additional 1 percentage point tax on general retail sales.
Along with other concessions, the proposal on the table was enough to win the support of the Illinois Municipal League, which represents local governments across the state.
“We are pleased with the overall framework of the issues affecting municipalities,” Brad Cole, CEO of the Illinois Municipal League, said in a statement. “Local leaders have long advocated for greater authority to provide for the programs and services their residents rely on every day, which they will be granted under this budget agreement.”
The locals will also receive tons of money from a variety of other sources.
I really didn’t think Pritzker would actually achieve this. The tax will go away in January of 2026.
* Subscribers were also told about this win. Sun-Times…
Another politically thorny Pritzker provision is also expected to be in the revenue measure — capping the discount that retailers receive for collecting sales tax at $1,000 per month. The governor’s office contends it would mostly impact larger retailers and generate another $101 million for state coffers.
Budgeteers tried to appease opponents from the retail industry by prohibiting processing fees on the sales tax portion of electronic transactions. Currently, financial companies can charge fees on the entire transaction, which includes the goods purchased as well as the tax.
A plan pushed by state Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, is also expected to be included in the revenue measure. Castro requested a tax on third-party entities that resell large blocks of hotel rooms but avoid paying the standard hotel operator’s room occupation tax. Her initiative is expected to bring in about $50 million.
The retailers also received some concessions in exchange for the agreement. The elimination of processing fees on taxes has received big pushback (you may have caught an ad on here yesterday), but it’s part of the deal. Again, I’d have bet against the governor on that.
Also, Sen. Castro’s re-renters tax will generate millions for local governments. And, as you saw yesterday, negotiators agreed to a graduated tax on sports betting companies.
A [now] former DuPage County prosecutor [Samuel Cundari] has been charged with threatening two state lawmakers and several gun control groups, and suggesting a bomb could go off at a downstate LGBTQ festival. […]
None of the victims was identified in the complaint, but state Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, who was the chief sponsor of Illinois’ assault weapons ban, confirmed to the Sun-Times that he was tagged in the post.
Another social media post on May 15 that prosecutors say Cundari made from a different X account with the user handle @jastownsends suggested a bomb threat at the Springfield PrideFest, which was held last week.
“I sure hope NOBODY leaves a pressure cooker filled with ball bearings, glass and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line. That would be VERY sad and VERY unfortunate,” read the post, which was made in reply to a separate post by an anti-LGBTQ organization, according to the complaint.
Springfield PrideFest was sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield. The insurance company’s X profile received a similar bomb threat post May 16 from the same @jastownsends account, prosecutors said […]
Cundari, a Wheaton resident, met with an FBI agent the next day and admitted to making the social media posts but insisted the comments were made as a “joke,” the complaint says.
The complaint alleges that on March 17, 2024, the Illinois State Police were contacted by two Illinois State Representatives about a threat that they had received via the social media company X, formerly known as Twitter. The social media post stated, “Our patience grows short with you. The day we put your kids’ feet first into a woodchipper so we can enjoy their last few screams is coming.” Besides the two state representatives, five other individuals or groups were “tagged” with the post to include the Illinois Attorney General. As a result, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division began an investigation.
The complaint further alleges that on May 15, 2024, the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received an online tip regarding a post on X that seemed to be in response to an advertisement about the Springfield PrideFest which occurred on May 18, 2024. In the post, it states: “I sure hope NOBODY leaves a pressure cooker filled with bail bearings, glass, and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line line [sic]. That would be VERY sad and VERY unfortunate.”
The complaint also alleges that law enforcement traced the two social media posts to Samuel Cundari of DuPage County, Illinois who used the internet to communicate the threats. At the time the posts were made, Cundari was an Assistant State’s Attorney in DuPage County. If convicted of communicating an interstate threat, Cundari faces a maximum sentence of imprisonment of no more than five years. The charge also carries up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Springfield Field Office with assistance by multiple law enforcement agencies including: FBI Chicago and FBI Indianapolis Field Offices, the Illinois Secretary of State Police, the Illinois State Police, the Springfield Police Department, the Pierceton Police Department (Indiana), United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Investigations Unit, and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger.
* Cundari’s Springfield PrideFest tweet was apparently in response to this post from Awake Illinois…
The Illinois Freedom Caucus focused on Blue Cross, which Cundari also threatened, in its press release about PrideFest…
The Illinois Freedom Caucus is urging Blue Cross Blue Shield to pull its sponsorship of the Family Area at this weekend’s Springfield Pridefest in light of the blatant sexualization of kids as young as 10 years old with the Teen Drag Show.
Not sayin’, just sayin’. But when you gin people up with that sort of heated language, there’s no telling what could happen.
