We have a much much better chance of passing a major bill when we have three ingredients: When we have the support of environmental activists; when we have the support of organized labor; and when we have the support of Democrats and Republicans.
We are this close to reaching that agreement, and I am confident that we will get that done.
There are still some points of contention between two critical constituencies, between labor and the environmental activists. I believe they’re going to be continuing to meet as early as this evening to try to work out those differences and the Senate stands ready, willing and able to return as soon as an agreement is reached.
* More Harmon…
The caucus made it very clear to all of us that we don’t want to vote for something that puts us in the middle of a fight between friends, between key constituencies, between organized labor and the environmental community. There is a deal to be reached, and we just need to get them back at the table and push a little bit harder. I’m confident we’re going to be able to do tha. […]
I am confident that the bill as proposed would not have passed today.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
The following statement may be attributed to the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition:
“On May 31, there was a tentative deal on a comprehensive energy bill, but it was stopped at the last minute. On June 1, Senate President Harmon said he ’stand[s] with the Governor on de-carbonization targets that need to be in a final deal,’ but now the Senate is headed home without action on that plan. Thousands of union workers and solar installers may now lose their jobs, while the climate crisis worsens and Black and Brown communities continue to struggle. We are deeply disappointed the Senate adjourned without taking action on a carbon-free energy future, but stand ready to enact the Governor’s plan as soon as possible.”
* Back to Harmon…
I don’t think we’re gonna have to wait until August. I think parties are going to sit down again as early as this evening and recommence negotiations. And I think there’s a fairly clear path to a relatively rapid resolution. That said, Exelon is on the cusp of a $700 million subsidy. If they close plants out of spite tomorrow, they were going to close those plants anyway. So I think we have a little bit of time here. And if we don’t, it’s not because of the failure to act legislatively today. We’ll be back this summer I predict.
* Climate Jobs Illinois…
We agree with Sen. Harmon’s statement this evening that there is a deal to be reached on clean energy legislation that addresses climate change and protects Illinois workers. Like everyone involved in these discussions, we recognize that we collectively face the biggest challenge of our generation, and we cannot afford inaction. We applaud the hard work of everyone who has come to the table to debate these issues for months, and we remain committed to seeing through a comprehensive, equitable clean energy plan that protects good-paying union jobs, secures communities and allows for a just transition to a cleaner, fairer future for all Illinoisans.
* The Senate is now in session, so I highly recommend that you click here and keep an eye on the live coverage post to keep up with everything in real time.
* The Question: Your opinion about what Illinois should do with coal-fired power plants?
From Speaker Welch’s spokesperson Jaclyn Driscoll…
Allowing for remote participation is a temporary change. By no means is this option encouraged nor preferred, but it was a decision the Speaker’s Office came to after consulting staff and members. Some members have flagged urgent family or medical emergencies and cannot leave their loved ones or put them at risk, particularly since we cannot assure all members of the House have been vaccinated. While we are in Phase 5 of our state’s reopening plan, we are still very much in a pandemic that requires precaution. This is a sound option for a one-day session and we look forward to getting these final-action items across the finish line quickly, efficiently, and safely.
Today, after the completion of his first legislative session, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced he has promoted Tiffany Moy to be his new Chief of Staff. Moy has served as the Issues Development Director since January and was the unit’s Deputy Director prior to that. In addition to having strong experience managing a wide range of people and functions, Moy brings the necessary institutional knowledge to help the Speaker operationalize a new leadership ethos within the Illinois House of Representatives. As Moy is also the first person of color in this position, this selection represents Speaker Welch’s continued commitment to uplift a new generation of leadership that reflects the diversity of our state.
“I am proud to announce Tiffany Moy as the new Chief of Staff. Tiffany has an incredibly impressive background and has fostered strong relationships within the Illinois House of Representatives. She understands the legislative process, but even more so, Tiffany knows the issues that matter most for working families throughout the state. I am so grateful for the work and service of our current Chief of Staff, Jessica Basham, and I know that she will help Tiffany grow into this role before she leaves the Office of the Speaker. I am excited for this fresh path forward as we continue fostering a new day here in Springfield.”
…Adding… Moy won the Golden Horseshoe Award in 2020 and in 2018.
To the Honorable Members of The Illinois Senate, 102nd General Assembly:
Today, I return Senate Bill 2800 with specific recommendations for change so that the various sets of appropriations included in the bill will take effect at the necessary time.
Senate Bill 2800 is the omnibus appropriation bill for Fiscal Year 2022. It includes the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations for both the operating budget and the capital budget. In addition, it includes a number of necessary supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021. Appropriations to implement the Fiscal Year 2022 budget require an effective date of July 1, 2021 so that they take effect on the first day of the fiscal year. In contrast, supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 require an immediate effective date so that they can be available for use during the remainder of Fiscal Year 2021.
Article 999 – the effective date provision in Senate Bill 2800 – references many of the bill’s articles and, depending on whether the particular article contains new appropriations for Fiscal Year 2022 or supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021, specifies either a July 1, 2021 or an immediate effective date for each article. However, as is evident from the language in the bill, some articles were assigned the incorrect effective date, and many articles of the bill were not referenced in Article 999 and thus were not assigned a specific effective date.
It is evident that the errors and omissions in the effective date provision of Senate Bill 2800 were inadvertent as all appropriations bills traditionally have effective dates that align with the language of the appropriations. I believe that the legislative intent for Senate Bill 2800 was for new appropriations for Fiscal Year 2022 to have a July 1, 2021 effective date and for supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 to have an immediate effective date. Without this amendatory veto, many of the appropriations in the bill would not take effect until June 1, 2022, eleven months into Fiscal Year 2022.
Therefore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 2800, entitled, “An ACT concerning appropriations,” with the following specific recommendations for change:
On page 3088, delete lines 8 through 12 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
“ARTICLE 999
Section 999. Effective Date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law, except that Articles 25 through 129, Articles 137 through 173, and Article 997 take effect July 1, 2021.”
With this change, Senate Bill 2800 will have my approval. I respectfully request your concurrence.
Sincerely,
JB Pritzker
GOVERNOR
Suffice to say it was a massive error in a tiny paragraph.
…Adding… Press release…
In response to Governor Pritzker issuing an amendatory veto on the state budget, SB2800, Deputy Minority Leader Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) released the following statement:
“Governor Pritzker’s amendatory veto once again highlights the need for an honest and transparent process in budgeting. Dropping a massively flawed budget in the last minutes of session is unfair to democracy and the residents of Illinois. Instead of working to fix a budget that increases lawmaker’s salaries, hikes taxes on businesses and has over $1 billion in new unvetted pork spending, the Governor chose to just make sure the law goes into effect sooner.”
* As we’ve all seen, viruses start small, but they can spread pretty darned fast. A reminder from the Wall Street Journal…
The Covid-19 virus infected people in five U.S. states in December 2019 and early 2020 before those states reported their first cases, according to a large new government study, providing new insights into the first, unseen weeks of the nation’s deadly epidemic.
Scientists analyzing blood samples taken for a National Institutes of Health research program identified seven people in states from Mississippi to Wisconsin to Pennsylvania who were infected with the new virus days or weeks before the first cases were confirmed in their areas. At least a couple had mild symptoms. […]
Two samples, one taken from a person from Illinois and another from a person from Massachusetts, date to Jan. 7 and 8, 2020, respectively, the researchers said. Antibodies found in the samples appear about two weeks after a person has been infected, the researchers said.
The number of Covid-19 cases found in the frozen, stored blood samples is small, suggesting the early cases in the U.S. were sporadic.
All told, the researchers found evidence of infection in just nine out of 24,079 participants whose blood samples were taken between Jan. 2, 2020, and March 18, 2020, for the NIH research program.
More than 90% of Covid cases in the UK are now down to the coronavirus Delta variant first discovered in India, data has revealed, as the total number of confirmed cases passed 42,000.
Also known as B.1.617.2, the Delta variant has been linked to a rise in Covid cases in the UK in the past weeks. It is believed to spread more easily than the Alpha variant, B.1.1.7, that was first detected in Kent, and is somewhat more resistant to Covid vaccines, particularly after just one dose. It may be also associated with a greater risk of hospitalisation.
June 21 was supposed to mark England’s “freedom day,” when the country’s remaining coronavirus restrictions would end, but the government has opted to keep them in place at least through July 19 because of concern over rising cases and a fast-spreading variant.
Boris Johnson announced the delay late Monday. “I am confident we will not need more than four weeks and we will not go beyond July 19,” he said. “But now is the time to ease off the accelerator.”
In the U.S., cases caused by the variant are roughly doubling every two weeks, according to former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and now account for at least 10% of new cases, he told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
The Delta variant of the coronavirus, which was first discovered in India and believed to be highly transmissible and more dangerous, is present in Illinois, state health officials told WTTW News.
More than 107 cases of the COVID-19 variant, also known as B.1.617.2, have been discovered in Illinois since the end of March, concentrated in the northeastern and central parts of the state, said Melany Arnold, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
* Watch it goooooooo!…
2) We are expecting the #DeltaVariant to continue growing in the US, outpacing all other variants just like it has in India 🇮🇳 and UK 🇬🇧, and become dominant in US by end of July, if not earlier.
* GISAID is a public/private partnership that promotes the rapid sharing of data. But the current GISAID data, which the IDPH has also relied on, is a bit high, according to the CDC. The CDC has changed how it classifies B.1.617.2 to a “variant of concern” from a “variant of interest” and is now sending its own data to states. The updated IDPH numbers will show 64 cases of the Delta variant in Illinois when its site is updated today.
Again, while still very small, we’ve seen how these things can spread enough times to know we have to keep an eye on things. And wide swaths of this state have horribly low vaccination rates, which means the potential for spread is quite real. Use common sense, and for crying out loud, get your shots.
* Related…
* If you want to avoid the ICU, get a COVID-19 shot, doctors say: “There are five people clinging to life in our ICU who did not get vaccinated,” said Dr. Jeff Huml, medical director of critical care at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. “The pandemic is definitely not over. Vaccination is the only way that we’re going to close the door on this pandemic. What causes me grave concern is the number of individuals who consciously make the decision not to get vaccinated. What they have to realize is when they make that decision, they are potentially putting their life in jeopardy, the lives of their loved ones in jeopardy, and the lives of (others) they come into contact with in jeopardy.”
Facing almost certain defeat, Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday threw the kitchen sink of arguments against a proposed 21-member elected board to run Chicago Public Schools — a plan favored by the Illinois General Assembly. […]
“A lot of the conversation that has been had over the course of this last legislative session is about dividing up the spoils of CPS. It’s about power. It’s about paying back somebody’s political patron. But it’s not been centered around our children. That’s telling. But it’s also frightening.”
*** UPDATE *** One of the compromises being proposed by House members is to run a trailer bill later to try and address some of the mayor’s concerns. From the above story…
“We fought too long and too hard over the course of many, many years to make sure that we’re providing real supports for people who have come to the city who want to raise their families, do the right thing, contribute to our tax base. Yet, we’re gonna vote on a bill that disenfranchises them and then say, ‘We’ll take care of it on a trailer bill?’” said Lightfoot, her voice rising as she referenced plans to pass followup legislation to address issues like how undocumented parents could vote, among other issues.
“Too little, too late. If you know that the bill is flawed, wait. Fix it.”
As a lobbyist on another issue said to me last night, “If you don’t pass a bill, you can’t fix it later.” Just sayin…
In the years since a man who should not have been able to legally have a gun in Illinois fatally shot five people at a manufacturing plant in Aurora in early 2019, state legislators have failed to reach a consensus on legislation to help prevent similar incidents.
That may change come Wednesday, when the Illinois House is set to debate legislation (House Bill 562) that would establish a structure for law enforcement to remove guns from people whose Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) cards have been revoked.
The Aurora shooter’s FOID card had been revoked when a background check found he’d previously committed a felony, making him ineligible for a gun license in Illinois. But police never confiscated his guns.
State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, said he plans to call the measure for a vote when the House returns for what’s scheduled to be a one-day special session.
“This I believe will save lives, and provide for a way to eliminate the (FOID card) backlog by modernizing it, and will encourage fingerprinting so you’re more easily able to have your card renewed,” Hoffman said. “It goes a long way to making sure that guns are kept out of the hands of non law-abiding citizens.”
Hoffman said it’s the first time in memory that a gun measure has the blessing of principal gun-control groups like the Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee and the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, even as the Illinois State Rifle Association, a gun rights group, is neutral.
Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Prairie State is the largest single source of planet-warming carbon pollution in Illinois (and in the top ten polluters in the country when it comes to CO2). Its closure would provide significant benefits to public health and the climate.
According to the report, Prairie State’s emissions each year are equal to “2.7 million typical passenger cars—more than twice as much CO2 as any other point source in Illinois.”
It’s also the state’s top emitter of many pollutants that harm human health: it “emits more methane, SO2, and NOX than any other power plant in the state,” according to RMI’s report. Those toxins take a toll on Illinoisans: Prairie State causes about one premature death every week.
It’s time for Illinois to support a just transition away from the disastrous, dirty, Prairie State coal plant. Our wallets, our lungs, and our climate will be better off.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The Senate has apparently given up on a comprehensive bill and is now working on what’s being called a “skinny bill” which would address “time sensitive matters.” Provisions include a moratorium on nuclear plant closures (which would certainly prompt a court challenge), some Exelon ethics provisions and a “solar cliff fix” with related equity issues. “Yep, so a bill that cuts out everything environmentalists want,” said one top enviro lobbyist.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham is confirming to the Senate Energy and Public Utility Committee that the decarbonization process is still the sticking point. The enviros and the Pritzker administration, he said, want “descending caps” that could lead to plant closures before 2035 and 2045.
*** UPDATE 3 *** From Jordan Abudayyeh…
Reporters—
Since Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell was not called to testify in committee this afternoon, I’ve attached his remarks as prepared for delivery here. The latest draft of the bill is also attached. The administration has not seen any other language that has been presented at this time.
We can’t understand why those who oppose this measure would ignore the jobs I’ve just listed to try to preserve jobs that may go away decades in the future
*** UPDATE 4 *** It doesn’t sound like the “skinny” bill has any real support outside the Senate, including with labor.
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* From Gov. Pritzker’s policy advisor…
See attached for the last draft of the energy proposal, reflecting the Governor’s most recent offer on decarbonization, in response to labor’s continued requests. A summary of the new structure is as follows:
• Prairie State and CWLP: no unit-specific emissions cap; with IEPA approval of carbon capture and sequestration (must capture and store at least 90% of greenhouse gas emissions) by 2034, they can stay open until 2045
• Declining caps with a 20% aggregate emissions reductions requirement over a 5-year period (does not apply to specific units)
• Units with best available control technology can stay open longer than dirtier units
• Ripcord provision allows a plant to stay open if the RTO deems it necessary for reliability purposes
• IEPA rulemaking must consider the impact on the ability of resources to meet reliability requirements
• Phase out coal by 2035 (except PS/CWLP w/ 90% capture)
• Phase out natural gas by 2045
The two other substantive changes are: insertion of two low income pilot solar projects in Peoria and East St. Louis, as requested by Ameren Illinois and approved by the legislative workout group, and a clarification that the 10% set aside for equity eligible contractors applies specifically for those with that designation (responsive to a request by members of the black caucus).
There are a few other technical changes caught by various parties, including a telecom clarification requested by AT&T.
We stand by for questions, but believe this bill is ready for passage, and the Governor is ready to sign it.
The 2035 deadline for coal was a huge sticking point for organized labor, their legislative allies and some Republicans, particularly when it came to two coal-fired plants, Prairie State Energy and Springfield’s CWLP. Then they raised the natural gas issue, which was a big issue during last night’s negotiations.
* Organized labor still won’t budge, however. “If a plant is clean — why should they be forced to shut down?” texted a top labor leader to me this morning when I asked about the status of the proposal.
If they won’t bite on 2045, then I don’t know how much further the enviros can move. From an enviro lobbyist…
If in 2045 we have technology that allows for 100% CCS, then we can change the law in the next 25 years and they’ll be able to stay open. But why shouldn’t we plan for the likelihood (if not inevitability) that such technology is not feasible and/or affordable?
The carbon capture technology is at least four times as expensive as a carbon tax, which the governor proposed and the unions and the Senate President both opposed. WBEZ…
The Prairie State Energy Campus is represented by the lobbying firm that once employed Harmon’s chief of staff, Jacob Butcher, a relationship that has drawn scrutiny and questions about a potential conflict of interest from within some political circles at the statehouse.
But Harmon sharply defended his top aide in his first public comments on the issue and insisted Butcher’s past association “does not factor in at all” in the push by Senate Democrats to find some way to keep Prairie State from the green-energy chopping block.
“Jake Butcher left lobbying behind when he returned to public service at my request, and he works for me and he gives me good advice and I appreciate his wealth of knowledge. But his prior representations of anybody, including renewable companies, has no bearing on energy policy in the Senate Democratic caucus,” Harmon said.
And when asked about how he viewed some at the statehouse questioning Butcher being in the room as Prairie State’s future is debated, Harmon said going after legislative staffers is off-limits.
“I’m trying to bite my tongue,” Harmon said. “I would not call out the governor’s staff or the speaker’s staff for decisions or actions that the governor or the speaker take. Our caucus operates as a collection of elected representatives of the people who send us here to Springfield. We couldn’t do our jobs without an incredibly able staff. But we don’t throw staff under the bus. We’re the ones who are accountable to the people who send us here.”
Dykota Morgan, a 15 year old from Bolingbrook, IL, was tragically taken from her parents and family within 72 hours of exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. She contracted COVID-19 and passed away one week before the vaccine was approved for use in children ages 12-17. Listen to her parents, Krystal and Rashad tell her story and why it is so important to them to ensure children get vaccinated.
* This public service ad is now running on cable TV in the county. Watch it…
Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Nominations are open now for the inaugural Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Statesmanship Award. Inspired by the service of former U.S. Senator Paul Simon, a Democrat, and former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, a Republican, the award will affirm and celebrate the best traditions of Illinois politics and government.
The Simon-Edgar Award will be presented each year to an elected Illinois official at the state or local level who has demonstrated a pattern of public service characterized by vision, courage, compassion, effectiveness, civility, and bipartisanship.
We seek guidance from fellow Illinoisans and urge citizens from the Prairie State to nominate someone from local or state government who has displayed exceptional leadership. We are not seeking the perfect public servant, but a leader who has consistently endeavored to serve the public good and prepare their constituents for future challenges and opportunities.
