* As you’ll recall, the ILGOP kicked out a Chicago GOP staffer from its office this week because the city party chairman is helping Rep. Jeanne Ives gear up to run against Gov. Rauner. City chairman Chris Cleveland wrote to the IL GOP’s State Central Committee this week and Illinois Review published it. Here’s an excerpt…
Four years ago, we ran candidates across the city for the purpose of generating enthusiasm and volunteers for phone calls and door knocks. In close coordination with the Rauner campaign, we flooded their offices with volunteers and executed 363,000 voter contacts, 263,000 of which were door knocks. We were able to raise Rauner’s vote in Chicago to 20.63%, just a hair above the magic 20% threshold. And he won.
If Rauner is on the ballot this fall, this won’t happen. Not because we wouldn’t want to; we’re loyal Republicans and Rauner over Pritzker would be an easy choice. It won’t happen because the state party has consistently undermined our efforts to recruit here, and because there is zero enthusiasm for this governor. Even prior to HB 40, we couldn’t get people to sign his petition.
It’s past time for the state central committee to step in and right the ship. First, I ask that you prevail upon Bruce Rauner to stop the petty retribution. This is the Republican Party, not the mob, and it’s time for them to grow up.
Second, I ask that you consider separating the state party apparatus from the Rauner campaign. They are acting as one and the same, but our party is bigger than Bruce, and we have broader concerns than his personal well-being. Notably, we need to take back the House, and we have two very viable candidates for state rep in Chicago, both of whom *might actually win*. A party must support such activities.
Another week, and another Democrat lines up to run for Illinois Attorney General. The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) Executive Director Scott Will released the following statement on Renato Mariotti’s announcement to seek the Democratic nomination.
“Renato says he wants to rail against the special interests. Noble, but his words ring hollow when he fails to even mention Mike Madigan, who has run Springfield with a relentless focus on his constituents: the connected and the corrupt. You cannot change the Office of the Attorney General without acknowledging the root cause of the problem. In reality, Renato just enjoys the spotlight. The Prairie State does not need another attorney general who would rather protect his well-connected friends over hardworking Illinoisans.”
(L)ast night Mariotti locked in an MSNBC appearance where he made his announcement on national TV. He then took to Twitter to lay out his reasons for running. Those tweets drew more than 20,000 “likes”.
People started visiting his campaign website and it crashed. Twice. (He reports 20,000 visited the first time and 40,000 the second crash).
What gives? Since President Donald Trump’s election, Mariotti has cultivated himself as a legal commentator, a frequent TV presence explaining various legal events related to the president, from travel bans to the Russia probe to transgender in the military. […]
“The argument that I’m making is the best way to check Donald Trump is using state attorneys general,” Mariotti told POLITICO. “I’ve been talking about issues — all voting machines have been penetrated by the Russians in Illinois and no one really seems to be talking about it.”
All Illinois voting machines have been penetrated by the Russians? Um, no…
And in Illinois, Russian hackers inserted a malicious program into the Illinois State Board of Elections’ database. According to Ken Menzel, the board’s general counsel, the program tried unsuccessfully “to alter things other than voter data” — he declined to be more specific — and managed to illegally download registration files for 90,000 voters before being detected.
A new published report suggests a vendor for the Illinois elections board might have been compromised by Russian hackers seeking to attack voting systems here and in other states.
Russian hackers attacked the voting-software supplier days before last year’s presidential election, according to the classified National Security Agency report.
The report, published online by The Intercept, does not say whether the hacking had any effect on election results. But it says Russian military intelligence attacked a U.S. voting software company and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials at the end of October or beginning of November.
The company involved has contracts in eight states: Illinois, California, Florida, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, according to The Intercept. It was unclear whether any officials in Illinois might have received spear-phishing emails.
Either way, I kinda doubt the Russians are much interested in Putnam County’s machines.
…Adding… From John Bambenek…
As someone who has spent much of the last year and a half investigating election interference, I can say with confidence that these senseless and factless sensational claims are giving Russia exactly what they want. That is, an American public which does not have faith in our democratic institutions.”
U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote to the Illinois State Board of Elections (IL SBE) today asking them to stop using the deeply flawed Interstate Voter Registration Data Crosscheck Program (Crosscheck) to help the state maintain the accuracy of its voter registration system. Reports have shown that the system is not only ineffective at catching duplicate registrations, but discriminatory as well. Researchers recently found that “one of Crosscheck’s proposed purging strategies would eliminate about 300 registrations used to cast a seemingly legitimate vote for every one registration used to cast a double vote,” often because they had a common first and last name. The Senators encouraged the Board of Elections to instead participate in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) multistate partnership, a far more precise alternative that has resulted in higher voter registration rates and increased voter turnout.
“Maintaining the integrity of our elections is vital to ensuring a fair and equitable democracy. To fulfill this goal, we should use tools that enable us to protect voting rights and ensure that every eligible voter can access the ballot,” the Senators wrote to the Illinois State Board of Elections’ Chairman Cadigan and Vice Chairman Keith. “Voters in Illinois deserve voter lists that are complete and accurate—and no voter should ever be improperly disenfranchised because of inaccurate information produced by a flawed data matching tool. That is why we strongly support the IL SBE completely withdrawing from Crosscheck and becoming a fully active participant in ERIC to improve the accuracy of voter lists and make sure all eligible voters are empowered to freely exercise their right to participate in American democracy.”
The Crosscheck program is run by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who currently serves as Vice Chair of President Trump’s voter suppression commission. The large number of inaccurate findings Crosscheck produces has sparked concerns that it could be used to disenfranchise voters, particularly in communities of color. A 2015 Center for American Progress report noted that Crosscheck was much more likely to flag African-American, Hispanic and Asian voters as possibly being registered to vote in multiple states than White voters.
Like Durbin and Duckworth, Cook County Clerk David Orr told me this week that he now opposes continuing to participate in Crosscheck and favors Illinois relying on another program that also matches the last four digits of voter Social Security numbers.
Until now, Orr favored participating in Crosscheck, as did the Chicago election board. But Chicago elections spokesman Jim Allen said Friday that a majority of the board now opposes Illinois’ continued involvement in Crosscheck.
Illinois elections officials have defended the program, but they have acknowledged one potentially big problem with it, according to an email obtained by Indivisible Chicago, an anti-Trump activist group.
“We are concerned that other states may have released Illinois voter data pursuant to their own [Freedom of Information Act] laws, and as a result we are currently in the process of determining if this is indeed occurring,” Steven Sandvoss, executive director of the state election board, told county elections officials on Oct. 20.
* The Sun-Times editorialized against remaining in the Crosscheck system…
Illinois also is a member of an alternate system, the Electronic Registration Information Center, also known as ERIC, which is nonpartisan and widely considered to be significantly more accurate. The downside is that not as many states belong to it because it costs money, unlike Crosscheck, which is free. Crosscheck has 28 member states, though four have quit, citing unreliable data. ERIC has 20.
On top of the other problems, Indivisible Chicago reported Crosscheck administrators have been careless with voter information, emailing passwords and using unencrypted servers. That could expose voters’ names, addresses and, in some states, Social Security numbers to hackers.
Kobach, who is running for governor in Kansas, does not appear to be the kind of individual who should be entrusted with sway over voting. In June, a federal judge fined him $1,000 for “deceptive conduct” in misleading the court about documents he brought into a meeting with President Donald Trump.
No one wants cheating in elections. But that counts for the people who run the system as well as those at the polling place.
Lake Michigan water rates have been surging throughout the Chicago region in recent years, squeezing low-income residents and leaving them with little, if any, recourse, a Tribune analysis shows.
In this tangled network that delivers water to the vast majority of the region’s residents, the Tribune found an upside-down world, one where people in the poorest communities pay more for a basic life necessity than those in the wealthiest.
And the financial pain falls disproportionately on majority-African-American communities, where residents’ median water bill is 20 percent higher for the same amount of water than residents pay in predominantly white communities, the Tribune’s examination revealed.
Consider Ford Heights, a cash-strapped, predominantly African-American suburb south of Chicago. People there pay nearly six times more for the same amount of water than residents of Highland Park, a wealthy, predominantly white town on the North Shore — and four times more than Chicago residents.
In the end, little is stopping local leaders from raising rates even more: Illinois regulators have no oversight authority over towns’ water rates. […]
Community leaders offer a variety of explanations for the high rates. Some acknowledge that residents are paying for significant amounts of water lost through cracked pipes and leaky hydrants. Others say they are imposing higher rates to pay exorbitant replacement costs of that infrastructure.
Drop by drop, more than 25 billion gallons of water drawn from Lake Michigan was lost in the Chicago area last year, an analysis by the Chicago Tribune has found.
A sprawling network of crumbling underground pipes allows water to surreptitiously seep into the soil before customers even turn on the faucet. […]
Last year alone, northeast Illinois would have saved nearly $9.1 million if towns using Lake Michigan water had been held to the state’s water loss standard of 12 percent. […]
Towns with majority-black populations lost an average of 18 percent of their water, compared to the region’s overall rate of 10 percent. These towns pay some of the highest rates for water in the area. […]
The result has been a significant drop in overall water use by Illinois over the past 20 years — by nearly 30 percent, state officials say. And despite its losses, Illinois still fares better than many other states.
But improvements to unseen pipes and water mains have not materialized. In towns like Maywood, for example, water loss has remained stubbornly high.
REPORTER: Governor, there’s a bump stock bill that failed yesterday. There’s also a Republican measure that would ban just bump stocks, not modifications. You’re a hunter. Would you support that kind of a measure?
RAUNER: Well, uh, again there are number of regulations and regulatory bills being discussed in the General Assembly. I think, I’m, I encourage the conversation. I look forward to, our team is participating in the conversation. I don’t want to, um, comment prematurely or speculate about legislation, but there’s good conversations going on.
REPORTER: So do you support bump stocks, or do you not support bump stocks?
RAUNER: What I support is a good bipartisan conversation about these issues.
* JB Pritzker’s people sent that around along with this…
Rauner Dodges on Bump Stocks… Again
Chicago, IL – Bruce Rauner once again dodged questions and refused to take a position on bump stocks, the gun accessory used to take 58 lives earlier this month in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. Just days after the Las Vegas massacre, Rauner was asked about a bump stock ban, and was silent then just as he is now. […]
“In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, Bruce Rauner doesn’t care enough to provide solutions to prevent gun violence and keep Illinoisans safe,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Rauner’s repeated silence is another symptom of his failed leadership and his inability to take any action on pressing issues facing our state.”
*** UPDATE *** Republican lawmaker uses liberal Democrat’s video to demand GOP governor veto gun-related bill. What a world…
* Before we begin, let’s look at the author’s bio…
Louis Jacobson is the senior correspondent at PolitiFact, the fact-checking website that is part of the Tampa Bay Times of Florida. He is also senior author of the Almanac of American Politics 2016 and was a contributing writer for the 2000 and 2004 editions. For Governing, Jacobson has written a column on state politics since the 2010 election cycle, including handicapping gubernatorial, state legislative and state attorney general races and the electoral college. Before that, he wrote a similar column for Stateline.org and Roll Call. He has also handicapped state and federal races for such publications as the Cook Political Report, the Rothenberg Political Report, PoliticsPA.com and the Tampa Bay Times.
In September of 2014, Jacobson rated the Quinn/Rauner race “Lean Republican.”
Three Republican-held governorships are so vulnerable that we’ve rated them lean Democratic. Those are the open seats being vacated by Paul LePage of Maine and Susana Martinez of New Mexico, as well as the seat held by incumbent Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, who announced his run for re-election earlier this week. […]
Lean Democratic
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R)
Rauner’s first term continues to be tough. A Republican in a strongly Democratic state, he’s fought an ongoing battle with the Democratic-controlled legislature that kept the state without a full budget for more than two years. The state remains in fiscal trouble, though, with over $15 billion in unpaid bills and the biggest public pension unfunded liability of any state. A decision to sign a bill providing state funding for abortions for low-income women in September, precipitated a war between the governor and social conservatives, possibly enough to provoke a primary challenge. Rauner has a vast personal fortune, but discontent within the GOP, combined with approval ratings in the mid-30s, point to a difficult re-election bid.
The Democratic field includes three figures from the populous Cook County: J.B. Pritzker, a multibillionaire and the brother of the former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker; Chris Kennedy, a businessman and son of Robert F. Kennedy; and progressive state Sen. Daniel Biss. Pritzker appears to be in the best position, having secured endorsements from the AFL-CIO, key unions and Cook County Democratic officialdom. Perhaps most important, Pritzker is a self-funder, which is attractive to Democrats looking for a way to beat the deep-pocketed Rauner.
*** UPDATE *** Part of a DGA press release that also references the above projection…
This week, Bruce Rauner officially announced his reelection campaign with a web video, a paid TV ad profiling Rauner’s lack of job creation, and a distinct lack of campaign events with voters. On Sunday, he heads overseas for a week. […]
“Rauner, who kicked off his bid for a second term with the help of his Harley-Davidson, remains the most-vulnerable governor. With the two-year-long budget battle completed despite Rauner’s veto, attention has pivoted to the Republican’s expansion of taxpayer-funded abortions that has alienated the base.”
Maybe week two will go better.
“Bruce Rauner’s reelection campaign is off to a rough start and its only five days old,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Rauner’s failures have simply caught up to him. Voters will not forget the two-year budget crisis he imposed on the state, the debt he piled up, and his inability to stem the flow of jobs and people out of state. Illinois is doing worse under Bruce Rauner and riding around on a Harley will not fix it.”
Under pressure in advance of hearings on Russian election interference, Facebook is moving to increase transparency for everyone who sees and buys political advertising on its site.
Executives for the social media company said Friday they will verify political ad buyers in federal elections, requiring them to reveal correct names and locations, and to create new graphics where users can click on the ads and find out more about who’s behind them.
More broadly, Rob Goldman, Facebook’s vice president in charge of ad products, said the company is building new transparency tools in which all advertisers — even those that aren’t political — are associated with a page, and users can click on a link to see all of the ads any advertiser is running.
Users also will be able to see all of the ads paid for by the advertisers, whether or not those ads were originally targeted toward them. […]
Facebook’s Goldman said the company also will build a new archive of federal election ads on Facebook, including the total amount spent and the number of times an ad is displayed, he said. The archive, which will be public for anyone to search, would also have data on the audience that saw the ads, including gender and location information. The archive would eventually hold up to four years of data.
That last component should apply to state and local elections, too, and go beyond candidates to third party “issue” advertisers.
In the coming weeks, we will launch an industry-leading transparency center that will offer everyone visibility into who is advertising on Twitter, details behind those ads, and tools to share your feedback with us.
Specifically, the Transparency Center will show:
All ads that are currently running on Twitter, including Promoted-Only ads
How long ads have been running
Ad creative associated with those campaigns
Ads targeted to you, as well as personalized information on which ads you are eligible to receive based on targeting […]
Electioneering ads are those that refer to a clearly identified candidate (or party associated with that candidate) for any elected office.* To make it clear when you are seeing or engaging with an electioneering ad, we will now require that electioneering advertisers identify their campaigns as such. We will also change the look and feel of these ads and include a visual political ad indicator.
In the Transparency Center, there will be a special section for electioneering ads that will include:
All ads that are currently running or that have run on Twitter, including Promoted-Only ads
Disclosure on total campaign ad spend by advertiser
Transparency about the identity of the organization funding the campaign
Targeting demographics, such as age, gender and geography
Historical data about all electioneering ad spending by advertiser
We are also updating our policies for electioneering advertisers to:
Include stricter requirements on who can serve these ads and limit targeting options
Require electioneering advertisers to self-identify as such
Introduce stronger penalties for advertisers who violate policies
Regarding Issue-Based Ads
We are committed to stricter policies and transparency around issue-based ads. There is currently no clear industry definition for issue-based ads but we will work with our peer companies, other industry leaders, policy makers, and ad partners to clearly define them quickly and integrate them into the new approach mentioned above.
* Rep. Jeanne Ives was asked this week what she’d do if she was elected governor…
So, what would I do differently? That’s a good question. First of all I’d ask everybody to turn out. You have to completely turn out, uh, turnover the Democrat legislature. You must get rid of Mike Madigan. He is stopping all the good economic policies that would come to fruition.
* Which leads us to this kinda tongue in cheek oppo dump…
Jeanne Ives: Secret Democrat?
The Dan Proft-Run Prairie State Wire Recently Attacked House Republican Caucus Leader Jim Durkin For Having Donors Who Also Contributed To Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. “How to be a ‘Citizen for Durkin’ and ‘Friend of Madigan,’ at once…Ex-GOP State Senator Thomas J. Walsh, now a lobbyist and one of Durkin’s oldest political mentors, gave his friend’s “Citizens for Durkin” political action committee $500 in September. He also gave $500 that month to Friends of Michael Madigan, run by Durkin’s alleged arch-nemesis, who he is supposed to be trying to depose in 2018. Walsh, whose younger brother, David, is a top paid strategist for Durkin, has donated this year to a host of House Democrats competing for Madigan across the aisle, including State Rep. Marty Moylan, State Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside), State Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside), State Rep. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island), State Rep. Fran Hurley (D-Chicago), and State Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Chicago Heights). Thomas Walsh isn’t the only self-described Republican Durkin supporter who also backs Democrats.” (“House Republican Leader Durkin Solicits Democrats To Back Re-Election Bid,” Prairie State Wire, 10/24/17)
Proft Ally Jeanne Ives Has Raised 24 Percent Of Her Campaign Funds From Donors Who Also Gave To Madigan
Jeanne Ives Has Raised $288,943.11 Since First Running For Office In 2011. (Illinois Board of Elections, Accessed 10/26/17)
$68,012 – 24 Percent - Of Ives’ Fundraising Has Come From Donors Who Also Contributed To Friends Of Michael J. Madigan. (Illinois Board of Elections, Accessed 10/26/17)
Proft Called Out Durkin For Receiving Money From A Union That Also Gave To Ives
The Prairie State Wire Story Specifically Called Out Durkin’s Receipt Of Contributions From The Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management Political Action Committee. “Durkin also received contributions in September from former top State Senate Democrat aides-turned-lobbyists Eric Madiar and Stephen Morrill, President Barack Obama’s first campaign manager Dan Shomon, former Daley political operative Thomas Manion, and the Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management Political Action Committee, which vigorously opposes Governor Bruce Rauner’s push for local ‘right to work’ legislation.” (“House Republican Leader Durkin Solicits Democrats To Back Re-Election Bid,” Prairie State Wire, 10/24/17)
Ives Received A $1,000 Contribution From The Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management Political Action Committee On September 5, 2017. (Illinois Board of Elections, Accessed 10/26/17)
Ives Has Received $5,900 Since 2013 From The Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management Political Action Committee. (Illinois Board of Elections, Accessed 10/26/17)
State Rep. Peter Breen of Lombard predicts a [primary challenge to Rauner] but is dubious about whether it will be a viable one. Breen, recently named House Republican floor leader, had been mentioned as a possible challenger to Rauner, but he says he’s happy in his current role.
“You’ve got to have seven figures in commitments” before taking on the billionaire businessman, said Breen, who sharply castigated Rauner for signing the abortion bill. […]
Rep. David Harris of Arlington Heights recalled a 1990 primary between then-Gov. Jim Edgar and Steve Baer, an activist against abortion, that the incumbent won convincingly.
“Folks in the party say, ‘Oh, this is (Rauner’s) death knell, he’ll never win.’ I don’t believe that,” said Harris, who recently announced he will not seek re-election. “I do not believe you can build a gubernatorial campaign just on the abortion issue. … It probably works to a great extent in a primary but not in a general election.”
* The General Assembly lost its acting inspector general in 2015, when Bill Roberts quit, and hasn’t had a “real” IG since 2013. State law requires that the Legislative Ethics Commission (composed of eight members of Illinois House and Senate leadership) appoint an interim IG if there’s a vacancy, but that hasn’t happened. So, what’s going on?…
(T)he office of the state’s legislative inspector general sits empty. The Legislative Ethics Commission’s executive director, Randy Erferd, attends only to the group’s administrative needs and did not return calls for comment by publication.
Despite this, $312,500 were appropriated for the Office of the Legislative Inspector General in this year’s budget. The same amount was appropriated in 2013, 2014, 2015, and for the 2016-2017 year. A total of $1,875,000 million has been appropriated for an office which has not been occupied and to pay for a staff which doesn’t exist. […]
“We haven’t found an appropriate person but I want to hasten to add that there have been no reports of ethics violations during that period of time so it’s not like there’s something that hasn’t been done,” [Rep. Lou Lang] said.
The commission’s governing statute holds that the number of claims received by the body is a matter of public record. However, no quarterly or annual reports appear to have been filed by the office since June 2014, making Lang’s claim difficult to verify. The responsibility to file those reports resides with the inspector general.
Lang was asked why quarterly reports, if they have been filed by the commission, have not been made public. “At this moment I don’t have an answer about that for you, but I can tell you if there had been complaints we would have had to figure out how to investigate them.”
…Adding… As a commenter rightly notes, the IG is a significant component of Speaker Madigan’s sexual harassment bill…
Each state Inspector General will have authority to review allegations of sexual harassment and submit any founded complaints to the applicable Ethics Commission for a hearing. Each Ethics Commission will have the authority to fine an individual up to $5,000 for a violation of the prohibition on sexual harassment.
…Adding More… I think the appropriations mentioned above were probably re-approps, so while the money was budgeted, it wasn’t spent every year.
That, that bill was really, um, primarily about, um, enabling some more political manipulation by Speaker Madigan and Comptroller Mendoza on how they can prioritize, um, bill payment. That’s really what was behind that bill.
To be clear, I am a strong advocate for transparency. Very strong advocate. The way to have transparency is to invest in our computer systems so we can be fast and everything can be online and everyone can look. Our computer system’s budget was gutted, um, reduced dramatically, uh, by the Speaker and the appropriations that passed over my veto. Um, we need to invest in our IT systems and our infrastructure. Actually, that will reduce the cost of government over time and make everything much more transparent. So, we’ve gotta keep working on transparency. I will continue to be a strong advocate for transparency. And trying to do what I can to eliminate the politicism, politicization of bill paying, which is really what’s driving a lot of this right now.
…Adding… From GOP Rep. Dave McSweeney…
Hey Governor - You lost 112-0 and hid $2.8 billion of unappropriated fiscal year 17 bills. What did the Governor know about the hidden bills and when did he know it?
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Abdon Pallasch at the comptroller’s office…
No, the Speaker did not hypnotize every House Republican to vote against the Governor. That 112-0 vote – every House Republican joining every House Democrat – ends any discussion about whether this was about good policy or, as the Governor futilely tried to misrepresent, about “politics.” Comptroller Mendoza outworked the Governor and educated all House members about the need for our office – and for legislators and taxpayers – to know how many unpaid bills the Governor is holding at his agencies.
State Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-East Dundee, said he was happy to co-sponsor the debt transparency legislation and asked Republican colleagues to unanimously support the override.
“It was the right thing to do. #thatsleadership,” Skillicorn tweeted. […]
Asked about the overrides this week, Rauner said his priorities are to make sure the economy grows to help job creators, protect taxpayers and “make sure we have a government that’s efficient, effective, transparent.”
“We set some priorities in this session and we prioritized,” Rauner said. “My vetoes, our priorities have been protected.”
Asked whether that meant the Debt Transparency Act wasn’t on the same level of priority as other vetoes, the governor reiterated that his priorities “held.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner will lead a delegation to Israel next week to explore opportunities for expanded business and research ties to the “Start-Up Nation,” the moniker used to describe Israel’s remarkable economic advances through technological innovation.
The trip builds out of the governor’s announcement last week that the University of Illinois System will launch the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) in Chicago and the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) by creating research partnerships with world-class universities here and abroad. U of I President Tim Killeen is joining the Israeli trade mission. He and the governor will meet with officials at four Israeli universities: Technion, Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv and Hebrew.
“We hope to establish research partnerships that augment the work U of I System universities will do at the Discovery Partners Institute,” the governor said. “We also want to make our plans known to companies in Israel so they consider investments in our initiatives and in our state.”
“Our meetings in Israel are a critical first step toward creating new relationships for DPI, and for the U of I System’s three best-in-class universities,” Killeen said. “The discussions will build bridges for research collaborations that lead the way to progress, and exchange programs that prepare students to succeed in the increasingly global workplace that awaits them.”
Consul General of Israel to the Midwest Aviv Ezra, who was instrumental in setting the itinerary for the mission, will travel with the delegation.
“We look forward to sharing our expertise as the startup nation with Illinois,” he said. “The future partnerships between the world-renowned universities in Israel and Illinois are sure to produce groundbreaking solutions to world challenges. The projects that emanate from this win-win collaboration will be acknowledged on the world map as revolutionary.”
The delegation from the governor’s office will include the governor, Deputy Gov. Leslie Munger and a staff member. From the University of Illinois, traveling are: Edward Seidel, vice president for Economic Development and Innovation; Andreas Cangellaris, dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Jeffrey Brown, dean of the College of Business in Urbana-Champaign; Mark Rosenblatt, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and Pradeep Khanna, Associate Vice Chancellor for Corporate Relations and Economic Development.
The delegation departs for Israel Sunday, Oct. 29, with the state of Illinois group returning on Friday Nov. 3, and the university group returning Saturday, Nov. 4.
* This looks more like a campaign appearance for Gov. Rauner than a legit raiding trip…
Florida’s governor is leading a raiding party through Illinois in hopes of taking some of the state’s employers back to the Sunshine State with him.
Gov. Rick Scott arrived in Chicago Wednesday in a winter coat and scarf. He told reporters that he and his delegation are speaking to businesses and site selectors in hopes that they will choose to relocate to Florida.
Scott explained the fiscal situation of his state’s economy compared to Illinois.
“We’re continuing to reduce our taxes,” Scott said. “We’ve reduced taxes 75 times and cut 25 percent of our state debt.”
He hammered Chicago and Illinois tax rates and their effect on business.
“Rahm Emanuel is raising your taxes. The Illinois state legislature is raising your taxes,” he said. “It’s making it more difficult for companies to do business.”
As he stood along the Magnificent Mile, wearing a top coat and scarf to shield himself against the morning’s 40-degree temperatures, the Republican governor said warmer weather isn’t the only big difference between Florida and Illinois. […]
Scott’s visit comes just two days after Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner launched his re-election campaign. Scott said he believes Rauner has tried very hard to grow the Illinois economy.
“While he’s trying to keep the taxes low here, and the regulation low, his legislature is hurting the Illinois economy,” he said. “Your taxes are too high. You don’t cut regulation enough.”
I’m not sure if anyone asked Gov. Scott if he planned to stop by an Illinois National Guard base while he was here to thank them for their help with hurricane relief. Gov. Rauner dispatched 800 guard troops to Florida last month.
* The Tribune has the only story I could find on this event…
Cook County Clerk David Orr on Thursday endorsed first-time candidate Fritz Kaegi in his Democratic primary bid to oust Assessor Joe Berrios.
The veteran clerk, who’s not running again after seven terms, cited the “need to clean up” the assessor’s office, particularly the inequities in the property tax system.
The Chicago Tribune highlighted that issue in its “Tax Divide” series. The investigation concluded that the county’s property tax system created an unequal burden on residents, handing huge financial breaks to homeowners who are well-off while punishing those who have the least, particularly people living in minority communities.
Orr said he’s frustrated that there have been no changes since the Tribune’s stories ran in June. In the meantime, thousands of homes have been reassessed, he said.
Despite a July announcement by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle that a probe of the entire assessment system was underway, two meetings to move that process along have since been canceled, Orr said.
Following is a statement from Fritz Kaegi, the progressive Democrat running against incumbent Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios in the March 2018 primary election, in response to Berrios’ testimony before the Cook County Board of Commissioners on Friday.
“Today, Joe Berrios stood before the Cook County Board and claimed with a straight face that the assessment model Cook County uses is ‘a very good one.’ He should tell that to the hundreds of thousands of Cook County working families who are grossly and systematically overassessed every year. Meanwhile, he lets wealthy property owners off the hook–as long as they hire property tax attorneys who donate to his political fund. Let’s not forget that, for years, he has refused to reveal how Cook County calculates assessments. That is unique among county assessors in Illinois.”
“Joe Berrios wants us to ignore the well documented facts and simply pretend everything is fine. Cook County homeowners struggling to stay above water know differently.”
Over the last 15 years, the labor force participation rate fell more in counties where more opioids were prescribed. Here’s a county-by-county look at the relationship between the change in the labor force participation rate at the state level and the opioid prescription rate at the county level […]
Krueger notes that, “Regardless of the direction of causality, the opioid crisis and depressed labor force participation are now intertwined in many parts of the U.S.” He argues that finding a solution to the decades-long slide in labor force participation by prime-age men should be “a national priority.” Men who are outside the workforce, he writes, express very low levels of subjective well-being and report deriving relatively little meaning from their daily activities. […]
Because nearly half of this group [men who are out of the labor force] reported being in poor health, it may be possible for expanded health insurance coverage and preventative care under the Affordable Care Act to positively affect the health of prime age men going forward. The finding that nearly half of NLF [not in the labor force] prime age men take pain medication on a daily basis and that 40 percent report that pain prevents them from accepting a job suggests that pain management interventions could potentially be helpful.
The drug company founder now charged with leading a nationwide conspiracy to bribe doctors and pharmacists to overprescribe an opioid cancer pain drug once was listed among Arizona’s richest billionaires.
John N. Kapoor, the founder of Insys Therapeutics, several years ago was listed by Forbes as having a worth of $2.4 billion. That worth has fallen amid the indictments of numerous fellow Insys executives, but Forbes still listed Kapoor’s worth at $1.75 billion on Thursday as he went to U.S. federal court in the fraud and racketeering case.
Kapoor is also the longtime chairman of the board of Akorn Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in Lake Forest. Akorn is in the process of being acquired by German health care company Fresenius Kabi for $4.3 billion. That deal is expected to close by early next year, subject to regulatory approval. […]
The new indictment alleges Kapoor and the other defendants offered bribes to doctors to write large numbers of prescriptions for the fentanyl-based pain medication that is meant only for cancer patients with severe pain. Most people who received prescriptions did not have cancer.
* “Gregory Krieg is a New York-based reporter at CNN Politics. His beat is the offbeat, writing and reporting on politics, culture, and political movements. He also produces interactive projects and feature video.” Here’s his take on Illinois…
A billionaire, a Kennedy, and a little known, progressive state senator are the three to keep an eye on as Democrats gear up for a fight with the wildly wealthy incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
J.B. Pritzker is the Hyatt heir and venture capitalist with a name familiar to everyone in the region (and a sister who served as President Barack Obama’s commerce secretary). Chris Kennedy, son of the late Robert Kennedy, had some practice jabbing at Rauner, assailing his “so-called turnaround agenda” as a sleight of hand, and “part of the narrative that government doesn’t work so he has to privatize it,” in remarks at the Democratic convention in 2016.
Kennedy is the early, if narrow, favorite, but Pritzker’s overstuffed pockets will allow him to spend (and spend and spend) all the way up to the vote.
State Sen. Daniel Biss might be the most interesting (and left-most) of the three, but his campaign is struggling to break through. In part, that’s a money issue. Pritzker and Kennedy are awash in it. Biss is not, and he tripped out of the gate when he brought on Chicago Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as his running mate, then promptly parted ways with him after Ramirez-Rosa’s support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against the Israeli government grabbed some headlines. The decision dampened Biss’ progressive cred — Ramirez-Rosa, a Democratic Socialists of America member, never hid his support for BDS — and raised questions about the campaign’s vetting process.
* Mark is right…
Kennedy campaign is "awash in money?" I must've missed those campaign docs. If @CNN has poll #s showing Kennedy's lead, they should publish.
Exactly. Biss outraised Kennedy two quarters in a row and doesn’t have Kennedy’s ridic burn rate. And a recent poll had Pritzker over Kennedy and Biss 39-15-6, respectively.
* Press release from House Republican Leader Jim Durkin’s primary opponent…
Mickey Straub kicks off campaign to bring true conservative leadership to Springfield
“The support and energy of this crowd reinforces what we already know: Illinois is on the wrong path, the Republican Party has lost its way and we need new leadership in Springfield,” said candidate Mickey Straub. “Everyone here recognizes that career politicians like Jim Durkin and Mike Madigan have hurt the state with yet another tax hike. We need a representative who puts principles and the people before self-preservation. It’s time to put Illinois first and elect a true, principled conservative as our state representative for this district.”
Kicking off the campaign with Mickey was a crowd of over one hundred friends and community leaders, including former Chicago Bear and ‘85 Super Bowl Champion, Hall of Famer Dan Hampton. Last night’s rally follows a release of data by the state board of elections showing current GOP leader Jim Durkin has turned his back on conservative principles – families of his district – and Republicans by taking money from Democrats and Mike Madigan supporters.
“The people of our community want common sense leadership and more principled conservatives in our statehouse. The time for a new direction is now, because Illinoisans can’t take a back seat to career politicians and special interests any longer. I’m running to put Illinois on the Right Path.”
Mickey Straub is the conservative reform candidate for the 82nd House District, which includes Western Springs, Burr Ridge and Lemont. Mickey is the president of Sales Activity Management, Inc., a faith-based performance measurement company in Burr Ridge, a husband, parent, Catholic and a community leader. He is serving his second term as mayor of Burr Ridge.
The “release of data by the state board of elections” stuff probably refers to this recent story in one of Dan Proft’s papers.
* Anyway, on to the caption contest featuring Dan Hampton and the candidate…
Health care providers at facilities that require them to be vaccinated against specified flu viruses would no longer be able to opt out for philosophical reasons under legislation approved overwhelmingly Thursday by the Illinois House.
Rep. Marcus Evans’ bill, which affects only Chicago and other areas where the local health department has jurisdiction over more than 500,000 residents, would still allow health care workers to opt out of the vaccinations for religious reasons or if a doctor says the vaccine could affect a worker’s health.
“In any system, if you have a vaccination program … for whatever reason you don’t want to be vaccination, you can opt out with a doctor’s note or for religious reasons, but not for philosophical reasons,” Evans, D-Chicago, said.
The legislation passed 104-1.
Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, was the lone no vote. She said the bill forces people to get vaccines against their will.
“My personal preference is being overruled by your bill,” Mayfield said. “Your bill says you cannot refuse and you can be fired if you refuse. … I don’t think it’s your job to mandate what I do with my body.”
A resolution headed to the Illinois House floor Wednesday would require an audit of a $94 million online insurance portal and the performance of the only company that responded to the contract request.
The State Government Administration Committee unanimously voted for a review by the auditor general of the 10-year contract with Atlanta-based Morneau Shepell following an Associated Press report in June.
The AP reported that the search for a contract lasted just three weeks, Morneau Shepell was the only company to seek the work, its bid came in at just one-third of the state’s estimated cost, and the company was allowed to forgo requirements in state law for ensuring minority participation.
Credit reporting agencies could no longer charge consumers fees for placing a security freeze on their credit reports under legislation approved by the Illinois House Thursday.
The House voted 109-0 on House Bill 4095. Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said the bill is in response to the massive data breach at credit reporting agency Equifax.
The bill also prohibits credit agencies from charging a fee to consumers to unfreeze their reports if they want to obtain a loan or conduct some other financial transaction that requires access to the reports.
* Related…
* House Overrides Rauner On Salary History: Rep. Margo McDermed, R-Mokena, says wage disparity was a big issue when she entered the workforce in 1978 — and still is today. “Ladies and gentlemen here in the chamber, if you have a mother, a sister, a grandmother, a wife, a daughter, an auntie, or a niece who’s in the wage-earning private sector, you need to be a ‘yes’ on this vote,” she said.
In a press release today, the Chicago Republican Party expressed disappointment that a staffer has been denied access to Illinois Republican Party headquarters. The Chicago GOP staffer was told by a Rauner staffer that he could no longer use a desk within the office.
According to the press release, the reason the IL GOP offered is a press report that Chris Cleveland, chairman of the Chicago Republican Party, is under consideration as a running mate for State Rep Jeanne Ives. Ives is considering a gubernatorial bid.
“We’re disappointed the governor’s team would do something like this. We’re running candidates in Chicago, and the city and state parties need to coordinate so they’re not left out in the cold,” said Cleveland. “The governor should be above such petty retribution.”
* Democrat Renato Mariotti, who’s probably best known for several appearances a week on cable news shows, will announce his campaign for Illinois attorney general tonight on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” program. He said he will begin touring the state this weekend.
His campaign website is here. In our conversation earlier today and on his website, Mariotti plays up his blue collar roots…
Renato is a Chicago native, born into a blue-collar family on the South Side. His father, a first-generation American who didn’t graduate from high school, worked as a barber and a newspaper deliveryman to help support his family while his mother answered phones at a local insurance agency. After moving to the suburbs Renato excelled in school and was accepted into the University of Chicago. He and his parents worked extra jobs to help afford his college tuition and he graduated with honors in 1998, earning entry into Yale Law School.
Mariotti eventually became a federal prosecutor in Chicago and was the first to convict a high frequency trader. He went into private practice about a year ago. He’s a partner at Thompson Coburn along with Senate President John Cullerton. One of Cullerton’s members, Sen. Kwame Raoul, is also running for AG, so partner meetings might get a bit awkward.
* Mariotti says he makes 5-10 appearances a week on MSNBC and he’s built a strong following on Twitter. He said he plans to use that social media presence to help him raise money.
“I have a good base of support financially,” Mariotti claimed. Hundreds of people, he said, have already reached out to him about the race. He’s filed A-1’s totaling about $82K so far. He has a goal of $3 million, which would be impressive if he reaches it. Mariotti claimed that MSNBC had made him a pretty good offer, but he is passing it up to run statewide. This period we’re in is a lot like spring training. Everybody’s hopes are high that they’ll make the team and go on to win the World Series with a walk-off grand slam.
Mariotti said he plans to use Periscope, Facebook Live and other social media to run a “more modern” campaign that will allow “tens of thousands of my fans” to get involved. He said he will focus more on Downstate than the other current candidates, with a specific emphasis on economic justice.
* The sponsor of this bill, Rep. Marty Moylan, is facing a contested race next year against a very pro-gun Republican opponent. Just something to keep in mind…
Only 48 votes on Moylan’s bump stock ban that opponents said went way too far, would criminalize many legit gun owners pic.twitter.com/R6ZuZQxCjD
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that no person may acquire or possess any pre-packaged explosive components within this State without having in his or her possession a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card previously issued in his or her name by the Department of State Police. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Prohibits the knowing sale, manufacture, purchase, possession, or carrying of a trigger modification device. Defines “trigger modification device”. Creates the offense of unlawful sale or delivery of pre-packaged explosive components. Defines “pre-packaged explosive components”. Establishes penalties for these offenses. Effective immediately.
* From the debate…
IL House debating HB4117, which bans bump stocks (used by Vegas shoter) but also any other trigger devices that accelerate rate of fire.
Opponents, including Rep. Costello, D-Smithton, say language too broad, would apply to gun owners who change a spring or add a new trigger. https://t.co/uwjzNfwNf0
Costello's district includes the World Shooting Complex in Sparta, says it would criminalize competition shooters and hurt local economy. https://t.co/0Nq9VkA9oR
Changing gun laws typically is a tough sell in Illinois. The state is politically fractured along geographical lines, with city and some suburban lawmakers calling for tighter restrictions as those from Downstate push back.
Detractors called for action on a competing bill backed by Rep. Barbara Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake, that would only ban bump stocks, not other devices. That bill has the support of the Illinois State Rifle Association.
“The language in the actual bill matters,” said Rep. Mark Batnick, R-Plainfield. “If you want to address the issue, let’s address the issue in a thoughtful, bipartisan manner.”
Following the vote, Moylan said he was willing to consider narrowing the proposal to win more support, but argued the bill pushed by Republicans did not go far enough.
“We’re not going to dilute it so it’s not effective,” Moylan said.
*** UPDATE *** Chris Kennedy campaign…
Illinois needs a common sense ban on bump stocks. These devices turn weapons into mass killing machines. Everyday in Illinois, we are losing our fellow citizens to gun violence. Springfield needs to rise above politics to stop the slaughter. Now is the time for immediate action. Governor Rauner and the General Assembly must pursue this public safety measure to protect the people of Illinois from gun violence.
The House also failed to override Rauner’s veto of a plan to set up an independent insurance company to compete for workers’ compensation coverage. But it did override Rauner on legislation to prohibit employers from seeking applicants’ salary histories and a measure pushed by Democratic Treasurer Michael Frerichs designed to make it easier to claim life insurance benefits when a policyholder dies.
The House voted 71-40 Wednesday to override Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto.
The proposal requires life insurance companies to compare electronic records of its policies in force since 2000 with the Social Security Administration’s list of deaths to determine whether a policy should be paid.
Auditors hired by the treasurer found that life insurance companies held more than $550 million between 2011 and 2015 that should have been paid to a decedent’s family members.
Republican Reps. Andersson, Harris, McAuliffe, McSweeney, Mitchell, Welter and Winger voted for it.
* The treasurer sent this out yesterday…
Thank you to the Illinois House of Representatives for siding with grieving families and overriding Governor Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of House Bill 302.
For decades, greedy life insurance companies have gotten away with using loopholes to pad their bottom line by avoiding paying grieving families.
Today’s action is a major step forward to help put a stop to this trend and require life insurance companies to pay what is owed to beneficiaries dating back to 2000.”
“I want to offer a special thanks to the House sponsor, Rep. Robert Martwick, AARP, NAACP, the many beneficiaries who stood with us to share their personal stories, and the seven House Republicans who voted to override the Governor’s veto and put aside partisanship to do the right thing,” added Frerichs.
The Illinois House vote to override passed 71- 40. The motion to override the Governor’s amendatory veto now moves to the Senate where Sen. Jacqueline Collins is the lead sponsor. If Sen. Collins’ motion to override receives the required 3/5 vote in the Senate, then House Bill 302 will become law despite the Governor’s veto.
House Bill 302 requires life insurance companies to compare electronic records of policies in force since 2000 with the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File (DMF) to determine if policies should have been paid to grieving families. Between 2011 and 2015, outside auditors hired by the state treasurer identified more than $550 million held by life insurance companies that should be have been paid to grieving families in Illinois.
The Senate approved an override of a bill backed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan which aims at protecting students when taking out student loans. SB1351, creates the Student Bill of Rights and prevents loan servicers from engaging in unfair or deceptive practices toward student borrowers.
“At a time where many young people are graduating from college with crippling debt, we need to make sure that students understand their rights and have access to proper resources. This legislation is a good first step to take in helping students and their families from falling behind on payments or defaulting on their loans.” said Senator Scott Bennett, (D-Champaign).
* I’m getting some strong and legitimate pushback for something I wrote for subscribers this morning…
I think we can safely stipulate that lots and lots of men aren’t directly contributing to the culture of sexual harassment at the Statehouse. But, just remember this, almost all women have experienced problems in one way or another. Something has to be done to stop this problem.
My intent was to address the men who are acting defensive and claiming they aren’t part of the problem. We are part of the problem no matter how pristine we may think our behavior might be because just about every woman has at least one (and some have many) horror stories to tell about being harassed, groped, discriminated against, silenced, etc. That means, on its face, the culture is really messed up here and far more men are perpetrators/witnesses/enablers than we might allow ourselves to believe, so everybody has to participate in a solution, both personal and structural. Men don’t have the luxury of distance here. You don’t get to say it’s not you just because you never groped anybody.
I’m truly sorry that I wasn’t clear. I wasn’t attempting to excuse people who turn a blind eye or don’t step up. And by “lots and lots” I didn’t mean to imply that it was the majority or the vast majority.
We’re all learning and we all need to continue learning.
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford endured crude remarks about her legs from a male colleague in Springfield. She had to remind another fellow legislator that he was the same age as her grandfather to get him to stop making “inappropriate” comments about her.
“I think that when you’re just around people who are in powerful positions, men and women alike, they think they can do that,” Lightford, who is from Maywood, told Sun-Times political reporter Tina Sfondeles on Tuesday as women who work at the state Capitol spoke up about being sexually harassed by men in power.
Galvanized by women who have gone public with allegations of harassment and sexual abuse by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, and the ensuing #MeToo social media campaign, women in Illinois politics are talking about their own experiences. Some are telling their stories on the “Say No More” Facebook page, and more than 150 women who are elected officials, lobbyists or consultants have signed a letter describing harassment by powerful men they work with. So far, the alleged harassers have been lucky — they haven’t been named publicly.
Ironically, a state Legislature charged with writing laws about discrimination, harassment and protecting vulnerable people is under fire for fostering an environment ripe for abuse. It’s up to leaders in Springfield to transform the culture. Insiders have known forever that the Capitol can be a toxic and sleazy place. House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton as well as minority leaders Jim Durkin and Bill Brady — and all their deputies — must make it a more decent and professional place to work. It’s what they would demand of a rogue corporation, university or public agency that mistreats people.
* And JB Pritzker has a long Medium piece on the topic which concludes this way…
As for Springfield, the capitol is not a club house. It is a place where democracy and the free exchange of ideas should thrive. As long as women are being demeaned, harassed, and assaulted as the price of entry into Illinois politics, we, as a state and as a democracy, are failing. We must take steps to address these issues in our state capitols:
We must make sure women are elected, appointed and hired in all levels of government to break up the culture of “boys’ clubs.”
We must enact formal sexual harassment and interruption training for lobbyists, elected officials, and staff and establish a culture of accountability.
In the end, it’s all of our responsibility to change the culture to one where women are treated with dignity and respect. It will be uncomfortable, and it will require an ongoing effort even when the news moves on. But I’m inspired by the women who have persisted for so many years — who quietly kept going in the face of such adversity, who never allowed those who would demean them to diminish them, and who are now fighting so bravely for a better future.
The burden and opportunity to create change falls significantly on me and on other men. It is our responsibility to make it better. I accept that responsibility and will carry it out in the days, weeks and years ahead — and as your next governor in Springfield.
* And Speaker Madigan’s proposed legislation has surfaced as an amendment to SB402. Click here for the text. Here are some bullet points…
1) The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act and the Lobbyist Registration Act are amended to specifically state that all persons have a right to work in an environment free from sexual harassment, and that person shall refrain from sexual harassment.
2) Every constitutional officer, legislator, unit of local government, and lobbyist is required to adopt a sexual harassment policy that includes a prohibition on sexual harassment, how an individual can report allegations, and any disciplinary actions for violation of the policy.
3) Every constitutional officer, legislator, State employee, and lobbyist is required to attend sexual harassment training, which includes a description of sexual harassment utilizing examples.
4) Each state Inspector General will have authority to review allegations of sexual harassment and submit any founded complaints to the applicable Ethics Commission for a hearing. Each Ethics Commission will have the authority to fine an individual up to $5,000 for a violation of the prohibition on sexual harassment.
5) Every constitutional officer and legislative leader must annually submit to the applicable Ethics Commission a report detailing plans for training and the names of those who did not participate in training.
*** UPDATE *** A House Personnel & Pensions Committee hearing on Speaker Madigan’s proposal has been scheduled for next Tuesday morning at 10 in the Bilandic Building.
* Unanimous override votes are not a common occurrence, to say the least…
Illinois House members sent a message about transparency Wednesday, voting unanimously to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill requiring greater disclosure of state finances.
The House voted 112-0 to reject Rauner’s veto of House Bill 3649 that requires state agencies to report monthly on bills they have not forwarded to the comptroller’s office for payment. Currently, agencies are only required to report the information annually, which makes it completely out of date by the time it is disclosed.
Comptroller Susana Mendoza, whose job it is to write the checks to pay the state’s bills, has pushed for the legislation to give her a clearer picture of what bills are waiting to be paid.
“I understand that our problems are really bad financially, but the only way to ever get to a position where we can fix the state’s financials is to know the true extent of how bad our financials are,” Mendoza said at a news conference following the House vote.
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Wednesday’s vote was 112-0. When the bill initially passed the House in April, it passed by a margin of 70-40, with many Republican lawmakers opposing it. […]
Illinois’ backlog of bills as of last Friday was $16.3 billion, but Mendoza’s office said it could be more than that because state departments aren’t required to report their expenditures regularly.
Rauner said the legislation was an attempt by Mendoza to “micromanage” state agencies. Lawmakers, though, countered it was commonsense accounting that would help officials gain a better understanding of Illinois’ finances. After the House vote, the bill now heads to the Senate.
“Today is a great day for transparency in the state of Illinois,” Mendoza said after the vote. “I understand that our problems are really bad financially, but the only way to ever get to a position where we can fix the state’s financials and get us on better financial footing is to know the true extent of how bad our financials are.”
Rauner vetoed the measure on Aug. 18, saying “the inclination” to be more transparent about the state’s finances is a “good one.” But he said her bill “more closely resembles an attempt by the Comptroller to micromanage executive agencies than an attempt to get the information most helpful to the monitoring of state government.”
Rauner too said it would divert limited funds and staff attention from their main duties in providing services to Illinois citizens.
Though the veto message appeared to take a political shot at Mendoza, bill sponsor state Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, said the intent of the bill wasn’t a continuation of the Mendoza-Rauner war.
“I know on her end I can attest to this, it was never political. It’s just doing the right thing,” Crespo said.
State legislators only rarely do the right thing for the right reason. They sometimes do the right thing for the wrong reason, and that may be the case here.
This legislation reeks of politics, Democrats sticking it to Republican Rauner. The party of Chicago House Speaker Michael Madigan, which controlled the governor’s mansion from 2003 to 2015, never raised the issue during that time — a time when Govs. Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn routinely held back invoices. Suddenly, it’s become a top legislative priority. […]
Whatever the merits of the claim, few outside the governor’s office put much stock in Rauner’s words. They suggest that, for political reasons, he wants to hide what’s really hard to hide — the amount of the state’s unpaid bills. They’re currently $15 billion-plus, and when numbers are that big, people understand the circumstances are dire.
Nonetheless, Rauner is taking regular public beatings as a foe of transparency for purely venal reasons.
Since it’s unclear who has the better argument, we’ll follow our instincts and go with transparency.
If the mandate really is as burdensome as Rauner claims, Democrats can repeal H.B. 3649 when a Democrat holds the governor’s office.
On the last weekend of Aug.1999, then-Illinois House Republican Leader Lee Daniels held a golf outing and fundraiser dinner at Medinah Country Club that attracted 1,200, raising $680,000 for his members’ campaigns– $1.01 million in 2017 dollars, inflation-adjusted.
Jim Durkin, the current House Republican Leader, spent the last weekend of Aug. 2017 hosting a recycling event. That was weeks after holding an animal adoption fair and, before that, a “children’s safety expo.” […]
The summer before an election year was once filled with outings, rallies and donor meetings, as legislative leaders scrambled to friend-raise and fund-raise, amassing the millions required to compete for majorities, from thousands of Republican supporters.
House GOP Leader Durkin and Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady have relinquished the “rainmaker” role their predecessors once embraced. Instead, they are working a single contributor this year who, they hope, will cover it all: Governor Bruce Rauner.
For his House Republican Organization (HRO), which is supposed to fund member campaigns next year, Durkin raised just $60,675 from 19 outside donors between July 1 and Sept 30, according to his filing with the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE). […]
Durkin and his members need supporter votes, but he isn’t asking for their money. He’s waiting for a check from Rauner, who spent $12 million on House legislative races in 2016, instead.
Excluding Rauner, HRO is on pace to register just 110 outside contributions this year– including corporations and individuals, but not contributions from candidate political action committees– for a grand total of $220,000.
In contrast, two decades ago in 1997, Daniels managed to raise seven times as much money from nine times as many contributors.
Daniels’ House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) reported $979,314 raised from 1,019 contributors in 1997, the equivalent of $1.506 million today. […]
The Illinois State Medical Society, which represents doctors, donated $1,002,512 to state political campaigns in the 1999-2000 election cycle, or $1.436 million, inflation-adjusted.
In 2015-16, it donated just $536,904, 60 percent less.
The Illinois Manufacturer’s Association donated $453,058 in 1999-2000, or $649,381.
In 2015-16, it gave just $138,311.
Proft is running a primary opponent against Durkin, but he’s not wrong about how things have changed. If Rauner loses next year, the Republican leaders are gonna be in a world of hurt.
* No press conference, no rally, not even a video. Just a press release…
Nancy Rotering, the first woman elected Mayor of Highland Park, banned assault weapons in her city, and then fought the NRA all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and prevailed, launched her campaign for Attorney General of Illinois.
Nancy Rotering vows that as Attorney General, she will be uncompromising in her commitment to protect citizens from gun violence, and will use the power of her office to hold Big Pharma accountable for flooding our communities with the opioids causing death and heartbreak throughout Illinois.
Several years ago, Rotering founded a local legal aid clinic focusing on helping woman escape domestic violence, and to help families battling deportation. The legal aid clinic now has more than one hundred volunteer attorneys and has processed more than four hundred cases.
“As Attorney General, I will be a powerful advocate, continuing my fight against the NRA to reduce gun violence, and taking on unscrupulous drug makers and online and offshore pharmacies to help curb the opioid epidemic gripping our state,” said Rotering. “As a mother of four and a local Mayor, I know how to get things done. I have a record of holding big corporations accountable and cleaning up government - something we need now more than ever in Illinois,” added Rotering.
During her two terms as Mayor, Rotering has maintained balanced and sustainable budgets, reformed city government, and forced ComEd to invest millions in infrastructure upgrades after they repeatedly left residents of northeast Illinois stranded without power. As an attorney, who practiced with McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago before taking leave to care for a child with Type 1 diabetes, Rotering worked on white collar crime and regulation matters in the health care industry.
“I have built a strong team and have support from across the state. My background in business and law, coupled with my experience of taking action, will serve the people of Illinois well. Illinois deserves a strong, principled advocate,” said Rotering.
State Rep. Jeanne Ives sounds like she’ll be a candidate for Illinois governor.
The Wheaton Republican is one of the most conservative members of the General Assembly and she is hopping mad at Gov. Bruce Rauner who she contends is not trustworthy.
Rauner angered many in his party by signing a bill last month providing state funding for elective abortions. He did this after promising multiple Catholic bishops and state lawmakers that he wouldn’t.
“He’s failed the integrity test. No one in the Legislature believes a word he says,” Ives said.
If Ives enters the race, she would be the only candidate opposing abortion rights in either the Republican or Democrat gubernatorial primaries.
* The Question: Suggested Jeanne Ives campaign slogans?
In a big win for Gov. Bruce Rauner — and perhaps a sign that Republican legislators haven’t deserted him — the Illinois House failed by just one vote to override his veto of a bill that would prohibit local municipalities from enacting “right-to-work” zones to get around unions.
This week of the veto session was seen as a test of how badly the governor had alienated Republicans after signing into law a House bill that expands public funding of abortion — a move that even spawned the possibility he’ll get a primary challenger.
The test comes three months after Rauner saw some House Republicans buck him on a tax and budget package. But on Wednesday, Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin worked his caucus hard — and only four Republicans broke ranks on the override measure, joining 66 Democrats. The 70-42 vote fell one vote short.
Rauner’s victory lap for an issue he’s pushed since his election may be a short one, however. A motion to reconsider the vote can still be filed, and bill sponsor state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, plans to file separate legislation ahead of the veto session next month to remove a controversial portion of the measure that offers a criminal penalty to local governments that enact right-to-work. Both of those options offer an opportunity to get additional votes on the measure.
* Gov. Rauner’s statement…
The people of Illinois scored a victory today. The House of Representatives rejected efforts to close a door to job opportunity here.
Instead, courageous House lawmakers stood together to dump the old playbook and move forward to make Illinois more competitive.
Local communities should be able to decide how best to compete for jobs and choose reforms that can make their economies stronger, help their businesses grow and give the freedom to individual workers to support a union at their own discretion.
It will help Illinois be better positioned to be competitive nationally and globally and create opportunity for all the people of our state.
Democrats say they might try to override him again soon, though.
Sponsoring state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, said he’d try again when lawmakers return to Springfield for the second half of their annual veto session in November. The Senate already voted to override the governor Tuesday.
Moylan noted that one Democratic lawmaker was absent, and he said he planned to offer a second bill that would remove criminal penalties for officials who violate the right-to-work ban. Republicans had raised concerns about charging local elected officials with a crime for proposing ideas they believe would benefit their communities. […]
The override effort’s 70 votes was four more than when the legislation first passed the House in June. Four Republicans voted in favor, but most were unwilling to buck Rauner on the issue.
Rep. Martin Moylan, D-Des Plaines, House sponsor of the bill, said workers in right-to-work states have lower wages and less workplace safety than workers in states that are not right-to-work. He also said that being right-to-work does not promote economic activity.
“Right-to-work laws have no impact on job growth,” he said.
Opponents disagreed. Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, said a vote to override Rauner’s veto would be a “nail in the coffin” for Illinois’ economy. Other Republicans complained that the bill actually made it a misdemeanor crime for local officials to enact a right-to-work ordinance.
“A yes vote is a vote to lock up village trustees and putting local mayors in jail,” said Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-East Dundee.
Business and industry leaders say the fact Illinois is not a right-to-work state hurts it when trying to lure job creators.
“Illinois is at a competitive disadvantage to attract the employers we need,” Rep Tom Morrison, R-Palatine, said. “Our citizens need these jobs.”
The village of Lincolnshire enacted an ordinance creating a “local right-to-work zone” in 2015. The new ordinance was immediately challenged in court and is still ongoing. SB 1905 would void that ordinance.
Two Republicans – Reps. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, and Terri Bryant, R-Murhpysboro – who voted against the right-to-work ban legislation in June changed their votes Wednesday and voted to override Rauner’s veto. Republican Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, did not vote on it in June and voted for the override.
Among the losses state lawmakers dealt Gov. Bruce Rauner Wednesday was one over a signature issue: Whether the state should require schools to teach cursive writing.
Rauner vetoed a bill to enact such a requirement, and the Illinois House voted to override him on Wednesday. The Senate would have to follow suit when it returns next month for the proposal to become law.
In pushing for one mandatory cursive unit in elementary schools, Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch said children need to be able to read documents the Founding Fathers wrote, as well as notes from grandma. And there was a political angle to making sure kids could sign their names too.
“Can sign your driver’s license. Can sign your passport,” the Hillside Democrat said. “Can sign a petition to run for office.”
* More from the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Rep. Grant Wehrli, R-Naperville, asked if there’s a law to mandate that schools teach keyboard or typing. Welch said lawmakers can consider that later.
Wehrli said schools are teaching cursive already without the mandate.
“Why does this have to be law?” Wehrli asked.
“It’s our job to pass good policy,” Welch said. “This is good, sound policy.”
The veto override passed 77-36. It now heads to the Senate, where a successful override will mean Illinois’ public elementary schools and high schools will be required to teach cursive writing.
Captain James T. Kirk has been added to the bridge of Chicago’s all-hands-on-deck bid to try to woo Amazon to build its second headquarters here, say aldermen who saw the city’s pitch video.
On Wednesday morning, City Council committee chairmen and other aldermen whose wards include potential sites for Amazon’s HQ2 were treated to a private screening of the presentation that city officials will make to the company.
William Shatner, the hammy actor who played the confident, daring Starfleet captain in the original “Star Trek” TV series and movies, does the narration. That’s an attempt to curry favor with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who’s a rabid fan of the franchise and even appeared as a heavily made-up alien in last year’s “Star Trek: Beyond.”
Mayoral spokesman Grant Klinzman said the city economic development agency World Business Chicago is picking up the tab for the presentation. He declined to discuss how much Shatner was paid for the voice work, or other costs of the presentation.
Unfortunately, the video is still under wraps. I’ll post it if it ever surfaces.
