* Gov. Rauner was at an Illinois Chamber event today and was asked about his plans for his next four years as governor. He started by pointing to “record K-12 funding” and “more equitable school funding,” then said he wanted to do this…
More effective funding for our higher education system, both community colleges and our university system. We need a lot of restructuring of our universities and our community colleges because we’ve got too much capacity, we’ve got a lot of redundancy, we’ve got a lot of overlap.
But we need more resources for higher education. And I’m committed to doing that.
Restructuring, too much capacity, redundancy and overlap. That sounds like downsizing talk to me.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner decimated the state’s colleges and universities during his 736-day budget crisis, yet today he’s saying, “we need more resources for higher education.”
Throughout the manufactured budget crisis, colleges and universities across the state were forced to make devastating cuts year after year. Students fled, tuition was hiked, employees were laid off, and even bond ratings and rankings plunged under Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership.
“Bruce Rauner held our state colleges and universities hostage during his budget crisis, holding back vital state dollars while employees were laid off and students fled,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This failed governor is the reason we don’t have more resources for higher education, as our critical institutions continue to rebuild from his devastating leadership.”
* Appointed freshman Rep. Jonathan Carroll’s (D-Northbrook) HB4237 would give individual Illinois taxpayers a state tax credit for donations to a state-chartered charity for education. The idea is to get around the federal government’s new state and local tax deduction limit of $10,000. According to Greg Hinz, it is picking up some bipartisan support, including House Republican Leader Jim Durkin…
Carroll said he could call the measure vote a House vote almost anytime now, and believes the outcome will be close but favorable. Other Springfield insiders say a House vote easily could be delayed until later in the spring as the House works on other matters.
But significantly, spokesmen for both House Speaker Mike Madigan and GOP Leader Jim Durkin say they favor passage. “The bill does have some appeal,” said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown. And given that the IRS recently approved prepayment of some property tax bills to avoid the caps, “Perhaps they’ll support this too.” […]
Gov. Bruce Rauner has no official position. A source close to him tells me he believes the IRS will reject such a plan.
But that source did not promise a veto, and the reason seems obvious: While Rauner argues that the new federal rules provide a good reason to adopt some of his plans and reduce local property taxes, it’s hard to see a governor running for re-election vetoing a bill that would provide significant tax savings to tens of thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of voters, many of them in affluent, GOP-leaning neighborhoods and towns.
Some experts consider IRS rejection of such a plan as extremely likely, if only because charitable contributions are not supposed to confer a benefit on the donor. But the measure almost certainly would end up in court, with no firm timetable on when a decision would come.
* Speaking of all this, if you click here you’ll see Rep. Allen Skillicorn’s very useful interactive map of Illinois by income levels. I tried to embed the map here and failed. So head on over. It’s also useful when discussing a progressive income tax.
As Zuckerberg prepares to testify before Congress, Facebook is quietly fighting a crucial privacy measure in the Illinois Statehouse. Starting tomorrow, state legislators will consider a new amendment to the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) that could neuter one of the strongest privacy laws in the US, giving Facebook free rein to run facial recognition scans without users’ consent.
For years, Facebook has been battling a lawsuit based on BIPA, which required explicit consent before companies can collect biometric data like fingerprints or facial recognition profiles. According to the plaintiffs, Facebook’s photo-tagging system violates that law, identifying faces in uploaded photos with no clear notice or consent. (Similar lawsuits have also been filed against Google and Snapchat.) Facebook added a more explicit consent provision earlier this year, but the lawsuit has continued on the basis of the earlier collection.
This week’s amendment would carve out significant new exceptions to the bill, allowing companies to collect biometric data without notice or consent as long as it’s handled with the same protections as other sensitive data. Companies could also be exempted if they do not sell or otherwise profit from the data, or if it is used only for employment purposes.
Our biometrics are easy to capture. Once captured, we generally cannot change our biometrics, unlike our credit card numbers, or even our names. Databases of biometric information are ripe targets for data thieves. .
The Senate proposal would allow companies to collect biometric information on their employees if it is used exclusively for employment, human resources or identification, as well as safety, security or fraud prevention.
That’s troubling to Adam Schwartz, a senior lawyer at the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation. Currently, employers can take their employees’ fingerprints to have them clock in; they just have to notify them first.
That empowers “workers in Illinois to have a say in what their employers are doing with their biometrics,” Schwartz said. The proposed change would take away that power.
As is the case with many bills, Sen. Cunningham says he started out to address a constituent problem. The law provides for fines of $1,000 per violation if it’s unintentional. Cunningham told me about a nursing home in his district that dumped its old time-card system for fingerprint registration, but was unaware that it needed to notify its employees. So, it faced a penalty of $1,000 for each unintentional offense. That worked out to $4,000 per day per employee - $1,000 when they clocked in, another $1K when they clocked out for lunch, another $1K when they clocked back in from lunch and another $1K when the clocked out at the end of the day. Take that times 200 employees and it was looking at an $800,000 per day penalty.
So, it should come as no surprise that trial lawyers, particularly a narrow set of trial lawyers who file these sorts of lawsuits, are hotly opposed to Cunningham’s bill. Cunningham said he worries about “small employers being sued for technical violations.” But the trial lawyers have a lot of juice in the General Assembly.
In a ruling that may have significant impact on the recent wave of biometric privacy suits, an Illinois state appeals court held that plaintiffs must claim actual harm to be considered an “aggrieved person” covered by Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), in a dispute arising from the alleged unlawful collection of fingerprints from a Six Flags season pass holder. […]
The plaintiff, whose son’s fingerprint was collected by Six Flags after purchasing a season pass for one of its Great America amusement parks, filed suit on behalf of her son and similarly situated class members, against Great America LLC and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. for allegedly violating Illinois’ BIPA by failing to obtain proper written consent or disclosing their plan for the collection, use, storage, or destruction of her son’s biometric information. The plaintiff further claimed that had she known of Six Flags’ collection of fingerprints, she would not have allowed her son to purchase a season pass.
Six Flags argued in a motion to dismiss that the BIPA allows only “aggrieved” individuals to sue for all alleged violations, and that the plaintiff’s son and other similar plaintiffs who had not suffered actual harm have not met the necessary threshold to bring a claim.
* Back to the Tribune for just one reason why big companies like Facebook and Google are hoping to revise Illinois law…
The law already appears to be influencing some product rollouts. Nest, a maker of smart thermostats and doorbells, sells a doorbell with a camera that can recognize visitors by their faces. However, Nest, owned by Google parent Alphabet, does not offer that feature in Illinois because of the biometrics law. Google’s Arts & Culture app rolled out a new feature late last year that matched users’ uploaded selfies with portraits or faces depicted in works of art, but it’s not available in Illinois, likely due to the state’s biometric law.
Opponents are concerned that the proposed changes would only require private entities to notify people if their biometric data is to be kept for more than 24 hours. Additionally, the law would only protect biometric data linked to “confidential and sensitive information,” such as a driver’s license number or Social Security number.
In honor of Equal Pay Day, women took to the Capitol to fight a decades-old battle for equal wages.
They say women deserve equality under the law and they’re calling on lawmakers to rise up and join the movement. One major way is by adopting the Equal Rights Amendment, found in the U.S. Constitution.
Simply put, the amendment protects someone from being discriminated against on the basis of gender and ensures equal rights for men and women.
Since it passed Congress in the 70’s, 37 states have adopted it. Illinois is not one of them. In fact, it’s the only northern state which hasn’t done so.
It takes 38 states for an amendment to become part of the Constitution. That’s why, Tuesday, women’s rights’ advocates were pushing for Illinois to be the final piece of the puzzle.
Dozens went to the Capitol Tuesday to call on lawmakers to put children first.
Several child advocacy groups met with lawmakers for Early Childhood Advocacy Day. They say they want full funding for programs like childcare and early childhood education.
The governor’s budget would slash childcare assistance funding by $96 million. Some say it’s unfair. Enrollment for childcare has dropped since Governor Bruce Rauner changed eligibility requirements.
Sometimes, taking daily medication is a matter of life or death. But, some healthcare providers are taking advantage of that and putting lives in danger.
Now, lawmakers are tackling the problem from all angles. One bill would stop insurers from switching drugs offered in a patient’s plan.
Several healthcare professionals who support the move say “bait and switch” is unfair and unhealthy. They say, when people sign up for healthcare plans, they should get exactly the drugs their bodies need and already rely on.
Monday, the idea came to a committee hearing, but not without some backlash. Business groups say the change could hike prices for employers.
* Gov. Rauner was asked yesterday by Bernie Schoenburg about recent allegations made by Sen. Sam McCann regarding the 2015 AFSCME arbitration bill vote…
He said Rauner suggested he skip the vote if he wouldn’t vote no, but made it clear that there was “one way to make him angry,” which would be a “yes” vote.
“And he looked at me, and said, ‘I’ll destroy you and your family if you go through with this,’” McCann said.
“No, I did not say that,” Rauner told Bernie with a laugh. Schoenburg asked if McCann was lying. “There’s a lot of wild stuff goes on in politics, I’ll say that,” Rauner replied.
Dahl: Speaking of that. House Bill 40, Ives and Madigan are together and Swedish grandparents. I mean, you’ve got a reputation for not telling the truth. [Rauner laughs.] How can people cast a vote for you with all that stacked up against you?
Rauner: I’ve fought hard for the people of Illinois to create a better future. We need to grow more jobs, we need to bring down our property taxes, we need integrity in government with term limits. I’m fightin’ for the people and a better future for our people and our children and grandchildren…
Dahl: But what about being a man of your word? You’re taking on water there.
Rauner: People know that I’m a fighter on principles that will make us a better future. Lower taxes, more jobs and integrity in government through term limits.
* Meanwhile, here’s a fun little snippet that came in over the transom. It’s from Gov. Rauner’s speech last night to the Annual Innovations in Construction, Asphalt, and Transportation Conference in Peoria…
And my kids were leavin’ Illinois. I’ve got six kids, they were leavin’ Illinois. I said ‘This is ridiculous.’ And my partners in my bidness said, ‘Bruce we gotta get out of here, we gotta leave.’ And I said: ‘I ain’t not leaving Illinois. I was born here. I’ve lived here my whole life. I’m not gonna run away. We’re gonna fix this, and that’s why I decided to run for governor.’
“I ain’t not leaving Illinois.” Man, does that Dartmouth/Harvard grad love talking like a hillbilly. Not to mention that it’s a double negative. Maybe those Italy reports were true? /snark
* Related…
* State Rep. McSweeney: Tim Schneider is “head of the Rauner Party, not the Illinois Republican Party”
Wednesday, Apr 11, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Did you know that health plans are changing Illinois families’ benefits while consumers are locked into their plans for the year? People in Illinois, especially those living with chronic conditions, carefully shop for a health plan which covers the treatments they need at prices they can afford. But health plans aren’t delivering the benefits they have marketed and sold to Illinois consumers.
House Bill 4146 Fixes the Health Plan Bait-and-Switch
House Bill 4146 would simply prevent insurers from making unfair – and potentially unsafe – benefit changes while Illinoisans are locked into the plan. The legislation, however, would still allow insurers to utilize generics, add treatments to their formularies and also remove them for safety reasons.
Insurers need to deliver on the policies they sell. The Illinois Legislature should support HB 4146 to make health coverage fair.
States that impose graduated income tax rates, which vary in application but number 33 in all, present a troublesome case for their residents, and would, undoubtedly, present an equally problematic case here in Illinois; looking at California, for example, which has one of the most so-called progressive income tax bracket systems, with a base rate of 1% and a top marginal rate of 13.3%, an Illinois taxpayer that is earning a median household income of approximately $59,000 would be subject to a 9.3% income tax rate under the Golden State’s model - nearly doubling the current Illinois tax; using the New York tax structure, the Illinois taxpayer would be subject to a 6.33% state tax rate; using the New Jersey model, that same Illinois taxpayer would be subjected to a 5.525% income tax rate [Emphasis added]
HR975, supported by nearly the entire House @ILGOP caucus and @BruceRauner, calls a graduated income tax a "repugnant affront to Illinois families" and uses three states to make its point: California, New York, and New Jersey#twill#ilgovpic.twitter.com/aJrVOApWn8
— Illinois Working Together (@IllinoisWorking) April 11, 2018
* The essential problem with the resolution, as IWT points out, is that the House GOP looks at marginal, not effective tax rates. Click here if you need an explainer…
Your marginal tax bracket, or marginal tax rate, and the actual tax rate you pay on your income are usually two different numbers. This is because you don’t pay your marginal tax rate on your entire income, thanks to deductions, exemptions, tax credits, and the way the tax brackets are structured.
…Adding… The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability also weighed in on this topic. Click here.
* Related…
* House GOP blasts Pritzker’s plan for graduated income tax: Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh called the resolution a “political stunt” to distract from Rauner’s “failure as governor.” The Illinois individual income tax rate is a flat 4.95 percent. Although he has not specified the rates he prefers, Pritzker has suggested a higher rate for higher levels of income — the idea being that those bringing home a bigger paycheck can afford to pay more in taxes. He hasn’t suggested bringing in more revenue with the rates. But Durkin scoffed at a Democratic plan that could be revenue-neutral. “They are not going to pass a progressive tax without having more money to spend. It’s in their DNA,” Durkin said. “That’s how they operate, and giving them more ability to raise taxes on individuals at different rates is going to be a disaster.”
* House Republicans Pledge To Oppose Progressive Income Tax: Yet – a poll last year by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute showed 72 percent of voters support changing the state constitution to allow a progressive tax. Twenty-four percent are opposed.
* Republicans aim to make sure Pritzker’s income tax plan doesn’t progress: “First of all business owners will flood out of the state. It will lower our tax base, but more importantly in every state that puts in a graduated income tax hike, the middle class ends up paying more. The middle class gets whacked in the end,” Rauner said.
* Illinois House GOP voices opposition to progressive income tax: Rep. David Harris of Arlington Heights was the only House Republican not to sign the resolution. Harris could not be reached for comment. He was one of 10 House Republicans to split with Durkin and vote for last summer’s budget and tax package. “Taxpayers cannot afford the current increase in taxes,” Durkin said at a Statehouse news conference. “There’s no way the Democrats should even be floating an idea of the progressive tax. Both opponents and proponents know how debilitating this tax would be to Illinois taxpayers.”
* IL Policy Institute: Fifty lawmakers are taking a pledge to fight a progressive income tax in Illinois, denying progressive tax proponents the support needed to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
Governor Bruce Rauner says if asked by President Trump, he would send Illinois National Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Frankly, the president is the commander-in-chief of our military,” he said while fielding questions at an event in Springfield Tuesday. “Illinois has not been requested to send troops. If we are requested, I believe we’ll honor that request.”
So far, only Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico have agreed to send guardsmen, after President Trump called for a military response to what he calls “lawlessness” at the border.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Expected response…
.@BruceRauner needs to stand up to Trump’s blatant racism and political pandering. This is an unnecessary and irresponsible use of our National Guard.https://t.co/WTLLB2mvIF
State Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago)son of immigrant parents that crossed the Mexican border in 1959, issued the following response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’sstatement that he would comply if President Donald Trump ordered Illinois National Guard soldiers to the Mexican border:
“Governor Rauner has shown us time and time again that he is totally unwilling to speak out against the president’s offensive, racist policies and statements. Sending Illinois National Guard soldiers to the border would be a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money. It would also send a message to immigrants in our state that they should be treated like criminals instead of valuable members of our communities. The governor needs to be a leader and stand up for the millions of immigrants living in Illinois
* I went over some of this poll with subscribers earlier today. Keep in mind that the proponents used both a Republican and a Democratic pollster. The 20 House and Senate districts polled were mainly in the suburbs, with three Downstate districts. Polling memo…
To: Interested Parties
From: Randall Gutermuth (American Viewpoint) and Jason McGrath (GBA Strategies)
Re: Recent Survey Findings in Key IL Legislative Districts Regarding Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB 1657)
Date: April 11, 2018
The following outlines the key findings from a survey of key State House and State Senate districts commissioned by the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition and conducted by the bi-partisan team of American Viewpoint and GBA Strategies regarding the state regulation of gun dealers.
These findings conclude that there is widespread bi-partisan support for requiring firearms dealers to be licensed by the state. This includes widespread support from gun owners.
“As you may know, recently there was a proposal passed by the state legislature to require firearms dealers to become licensed by the state of Illinois. From what you know, do you favor or oppose this proposal?”
• Across these districts, 71% of voters favor the proposal, with only 23% opposing it. Intensity is much greater on the supporting side, with 52% strongly favoring the proposal and 16% strongly opposing it.
• Nearly two-thirds of Republicans favor the proposal (65%-30%) as do an overwhelming majority of voters in GOP-held Senate (71%-22%) and House (73%-22%) districts.
• The key swing voting bloc of Independents favor this proposal 68%-25%, including Independent women favoring it by a 79%-16% margin. Support from Independent women is nearly as high as it is among Democrats overall (80%-13%).
• There is also little difference seen by geography. For example, voters in the downstate districts favor the proposal 67%-23% and voters in the west suburbs favor it 74%-19%.
Given that gun owners also widely support this proposal underscores that this isn’t seen as an infringement of 2nd Amendment rights.
• 33% of respondents are in a household that owns a firearm. These voters favor the proposal by a greater than two-to-one margin (63%-30%).
Opponents of this proposal will struggle to build opposition.
• After hearing a balanced set of arguments from both sides, more than two-thirds of voters continue to favor the proposal (67%-30%).
• The most powerful argument from proponents was:
o For years, Congress has cut essential funding for law enforcement to prevent gun dealers from selling guns illegally. As a result, gun dealers operate with minimal oversight and are inspected only once every five years. This has resulted in over 4000 illegal guns that each year are traced to gun dealers in Illinois. Licensing gun dealers in our state will improve monitoring and help ensure that guns sold in Illinois don’t end up in the wrong hands. (69% very/somewhat convincing)
• None of the opposing arguments we tested were as resonant as the most powerful arguments from supporters. In particular, arguments about regulatory burdens and the costs to small gun manufacturers fell flat.
o This proposal will put an enormous regulatory burden on gun owners and add between $150 and $300 dollars to the price of any new firearm. This will result in many gun dealers closing, causing law-abiding citizens to drive hundreds of miles to find a gun dealer still in business and will result in the loss of hundreds of well-paying jobs. (42% very/somewhat convincing)
o Small gun manufacturers in Illinois will be priced out of business with the proposal to license gun dealers, as they would have to comply with this proposal as well. The costs to manufacturers would be prohibitive and they would have to move out of state or shut down, forcing many Illinoisans to lose their jobs. (40% very/somewhat convincing)
In the divisive and polarized world of today, it is rare to see a legislative proposal that sees this level of support across partisan lines. The upside for legislators is significant, while the downside for Republicans concerned about their base is extremely limited. Requiring gun dealers to be licensed by the state is both good policy and good politics.
* Methodology…
N=600 interviews were conducted on March 26-28, 2018 in 20 key State House and in State Senate Districts located primarily in the suburban Cook and Collar Counties of Chicago and a few downstate. 40% of interviews were conducted with a cell phone sample of those who couldn’t be reached on a landline. The margin of error for the full sample is +/- 4.0% at the 95% confidence level and the margin of error among sub-groups is greater.
* Accompanying press release…
During a time of significant political divisiveness, there is one issue where Illinois voters across party lines are united: license gun dealers in Illinois as part of the Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB 1657), thus paving the way for an override of Governor Rauner’s veto of this bill.
Despite passing with bipartisan support this session, Governor Rauner vetoed SB 1657 shortly before the March primary. Starting April 10, the state Senate has 15 days in which to override his veto; if overridden, it will then move to the House, opening another 15 day window for an override.
The Gun Dealer Licensing Act would require criminal background checks for all gun shop employees. It would require training to help gun shop employees identify a buyer purchasing a gun for someone else, require basic store security measures to help prevent theft, and strengthen law enforcement’s ability to catch those responsible for illegal gun trafficking.
The Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition (ILGVP) conducted a bipartisan poll to gauge public opinion around this bill in key swing suburban cook, collar county and (a few) downstate districts. Support for this bill is widespread, with 71% of voters across these districts favoring the proposal. This gives legislators in traditionally more conservative and gun friendly districts assurances that their voters strongly support putting common-sense measures in place to ensure firearms from local gun dealers don’t hand end up in the hands of those looking to do harm.
“Republicans, Independents and gun owners all support this common-sense legislation that would help keep illegal guns out of our communities,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention PAC (GPAC). “Legislators can rest assured that their constituents are on the right side of this issue and they are empowered to vote to override the Governor’s veto of SB 1657.”
The Governor argued that the bill duplicated the work of the Federal government in regulating gun dealers to justify his veto. However, while the ATF is required to monitor gun dealers across the country, including Illinois, they are significantly underfunded and understaffed due to Congressional budget cuts. In fact, the ATF inspected just six percent of the 136,000 gun dealers in the U.S. in 2015. Meanwhile, a typical Illinois dealer may go up to 10 years between inspections. Perhaps worst of all, because the ATF is prohibited from requiring dealers to conduct annual inventories the actual number of guns lost or stolen in the U.S. each year is unknown. SB 1657 addresses these issues, creating a better system of checks and balances that will save lives.
This bipartisan poll was conducted by American Viewpoint and GBA Strategies on March 26 – 28, 2018 in 20 key state House and Senate Districts located primarily in the suburban Cook and Collar Counties of Chicago, in addition to a few downstate districts. 600 likely voters were interviewed and the poll has a margin of error of +/- 4%.
* Related…
* Democrats face two-week deadline in trying to override Rauner veto of gun store bill: “For years we have been combating the intense depth but narrow breadth of NRA-supported districts,” Harmon said. “The same 20 or 30 guys show up at a senator’s office over and over and over again and demand that the senator not support common sense gun laws. And meanwhile there are 30,000 people in the district who feel the opposite but they don’t have the same intensity. And that’s something that has changed in the wake of these horrific shootings.” But opponents led by gun shop owners said they were “optimistic” Rauner’s veto would stand. They note that just 30 senators voted for the proposal the first time around, and Harmon needs 36 votes to override the governor.
While the Rauner campaign launched an “Illinois Priorities Survey” yesterday, it was wildly different than a first draft sources tipped us off to. Take a look for yourself:
“Bruce Rauner forced this state into a 736-day budget crisis, fatally mismanaged the Quincy Veteran’s Home, and decimated the tools Illinoisans need to build better lives,” said Pritzker campaign spokesman Jason Rubin. “After three years of crisis, damage, and pain the results are in: Bruce Rauner has failed.”
* They missed an opportunity, however. A reader recently pointed out this question in the governor’s survey…
Do you believe patronage hires in state government should be illegal?
The snark possibilities are almost endless, but the topic is also in the news this week. From a Daily Herald editorial…
Late last year, we urged a change in state law that allows professional contracts to be awarded at the discretion of the Illinois Toll Highway Authority board.
Rather than seeking sealed bids and awarding the contract to the qualified bidder offering the lowest cost, current law allows the board to choose from among three finalists vetted by a blue-ribbon committee.
At the time, we were concerned about the awarding of a $157 million contract to a Lisle-based engineering company that employs the daughter of the tollway chair and the son of the chief tollway engineer. […]
Daily Herald transportation writer Marni Pyke reported this week that the tollway authority has paid more than $636,000 over seven months as part of an estimated $6.6 million contract with a politically connected communications firm.
Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) would be a lock to become the new chairman of the City Council’s Aviation Committee if not for his role in the #MeToo scandal swirling around House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political organization.
But Quinn is simply too hot to handle after playing a pivotal go-between role between his own brother and political consultant Alaina Hampton, who has accused Kevin Quinn of stalking her with a series of harassing text messages.
As a result, the race is wide open to replace Aviation Committee Chairman Mike Zalewski (23rd), who is resigning his City Council seat, effective May 31.
Although the Aviation Committee budget is a modest $109,496-a-year that’s been frozen since 2011, the position is pivotal.
The new chairman will preside over the $8.5 billion O’Hare Airport expansion project and make certain that African Americans and Hispanics get a fair share of the bonanza of jobs and contracts.
Zalewski’s 23rd Ward is closely allied with Speaker Madigan’s 13th Ward, the home of Midway Airport, which is always in danger of being overshadowed by O’Hare. Quinn would’ve therefore been a perfect contender.
[Ald. Ricardo Munoz] is allied with onetime Emanuel opponent Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, and he is a member of the City Council Progressive Caucus that occasionally opposes the mayor’s initiatives. So it’s questionable whether Emanuel would put someone with such an independent streak atop a key committee.
“I would think the mayor would want someone who’s willing to do the work, to work hard,” Munoz said when asked if the mayor would consider him too much of a wild card.
[Ald. Nick Sposato] has been on the council since 2011, and it could rankle some longer-tenured aldermen if Emanuel gives him such a powerful chairmanship. But Sposato pointed to his work as vice chairman on the committee and his proximity to O’Hare.
“Come over to my house. If someone’s on a plane they can wave to you out the window,” he said.
Remember, however, that Chuy has been cutting a whole lot of interesting political deals the past several months, particularly on the Southwest Side.
In this suit under §2 of the Voting Rights Act, 52 U.S.C. §10301, plaintiffs (registered voters, some of whom are parents or grandparents of school-age children) contend that this system deprives black and Latino citizens of their right to vote. School boards elsewhere in Illinois are elected; plaintiffs say that failure to elect the school board in Chicago has a disproportionate effect on minority voters. The district court dismissed the complaint. […]
The Voting Rights Act has been on the books for 53 years, and as far as we are aware no court has understood §2 to re- quire that any office be filled by election. Several courts have rejected contentions to that effect. […]
There is a further problem with plaintiffs’ position. Black and Latino citizens do not vote for the school board in Chicago, but neither does anyone else. Every member of the electorate is treated identically […]
Plaintiffs have a second theory: that allowing the Mayor to appoint the Board’s members violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. […]
This equal-protection theory is brought up short by Sail- ors v. Board of Education, 387 U.S. 105 (1967), which holds that appointing a school board is constitutionally permissible, and by Hearne v. Board of Education, 185 F.3d 770 (7th Cir. 1999), which holds that the 1995 Illinois statute is valid not- withstanding the line it draws between Chicago and every other city in Illinois.
How Bruce Rauner Decimated Agriculture in Illinois
Rauner Tried to Zero Out Ag Funding, Shut Down Illinois State Museum
Chicago, IL – Bruce Rauner is celebrating Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day today at the Illinois State Museum, but his failed record on supporting the agriculture industry begs serious questions:
Why did Rauner propose eliminating funding for agriculture education? In 2016, Rauner zeroed out funding for the second time.
Why did Rauner cut tens of millions of dollars for agriculture programs? In late 2017, Rauner cut $21 million from the Department of Agriculture in a budget legislators passed over his reckless vetoes.
Why did Rauner hold back on disbursing the soil and conservation funds approved by the legislature? Rauner only disbursed $5 million of the $13.5 million appropriated, a nearly 63% reduction.
Bonus: Why did Rauner close the Illinois State Museum for nine months? A few months into the budget crisis, Rauner closed the museum — which caused two thirds of management to leave — and suggested it charge admission to re-open.
“From gutting agriculture education to slashing funding for agriculture programs, Bruce Rauner has failed hardworking farmers and workers across Illinois,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Illinoisans deserve a governor who knows one in 17 Illinois jobs is in the agriculture industry and values the working families that drive our agricultural economy — and that’s JB Pritzker.”
Read JB’s plan to nurture our agriculture economy HERE.
Rauner’s Unbalanced Budget Cuts Funding, Increases Expenses in Communities Across Illinois
Chicago, IL – Bruce Rauner’s FY19 budget proposal attempts to “balance” the budget on the backs of working people. With the General Assembly holding budget hearings this week, the Pritzker campaign is highlighting the different communities that would be hurt by this failed governor’s unbalanced budget.
To balance the state’s budget, Bruce Rauner is reducing shared income tax revenue while offloading state expenses to local governments across the state. Rauner proposed a 10% cut to the Local Government Distribution Fund while forcing cities and towns to pay for road construction and school districts to pick up pension costs. Now, local governments will be left to either slash services or increase property taxes.
“Bruce Rauner’s unbalanced state budget is leaving gaping holes in local government budgets across the state,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Towns, cities and schools in communities across Illinois will suffer as Rauner tries to balance the budget at their expense and lets his fiscal mismanagement spiral.”
* And here’s the Rauner campaign with a Tuesday press release about something Pritzker said the previous Friday which also mentions Joe Berrios, who lost his primary race and is about to lose his party chairmanship job…
On Friday, JB Pritzker appeared on WJBC and criticized the property tax system as “regressive” and “not fair,” despite personally abusing the system to secure a $230,000 tax break. In doing so, Pritzker forced other residents who are unable to afford politically-connected lawyers to pay more in taxes to cover his reduction.
“Lowering the tax burden is the goal. By lowering the tax rate that they might pay on income taxes, and also, very important, lowering local property taxes, which are so regressive. The poorest neighborhoods and in middle class neighborhoods, people are paying higher rates of property taxes than people who live in wealthy neighborhoods, they’re paying lower rates. That’s just not fair.” - JB Pritzker on WJBC
Pritzker is hypocritically criticizing a system he took advantage of himself. This comes after months of Pritzker’s refusals to condemn Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, the man implicated in multiple independent reviews as having directed a corrupt property tax system that benefitted political insiders like Pritzker and Mike Madigan.
It’s “just not fair” that taxpayers are paying the price for JB Pritzker to benefit from a corrupt system while refusing to criticize Joe Berrios.
* Erratic, arrogant leaders who lay off staff and slash newsroom budgets while spending lavishly on themselves, and demeaning reporters and editors by forcing them to interview to keep their own jobs will often lead to this sort of thing. Even so, wow…
One of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious regional newspapers, The Chicago Tribune, could soon have a unionized staff. Wednesday morning, journalists from its newsroom informed management they are preparing to organize and they have collected signatures from dozens of colleagues.
This is a historic move at a paper that had for decades taken a hardline stance against unions.
The move will likely not go over well with its current corporate owner Tronc. Two months ago, the newspaper publishing company struck a deal to sell another venerable daily the Los Angeles Times, weeks after the paper’s journalists succeeded in unionizing its newsroom.
Journalists at the Tribune say the move will help them secure better pay and ensure they can fulfill the paper’s mission.
The Tribune always kept the union out of its hair by treating its people well. That era has ended.
You can learn more about the organizing attempt by clicking here.
* Background is here. From a Rep. Scott Drury constituent e-mail regarding his state Senator Julie Morrison, a fellow Democrat…
Friends:
Based on the overwhelming response to our email about Sen. Morrison’s efforts to kill the bump stock ban, she issued this response:
“All three pieces of legislation that the Senate passed a few weeks ago represent a bipartisan effort to deal with the epidemic of gun violence in our state. I am in favor of the most restrictive definition of what constitutes a bump-stock and I have complete faith in Rep. Moylan to do what he feels is necessary with HB 1467.”
The response is disingenuous:
Note that the House bump stock ban had bipartisan support. Thus no need existed for Sen. Morrison to placate the Gun Lobby at our expense.
Sen. Morrison’s claim of favoring “the most restrictive” bump stock ban is at direct odds with her own bill which bans nothing.
Sen. Morrison knows she left Rep. Moylan (the House sponsor of the bump stock ban) with two bad two choices:
Accept Sen. Morrison’s amended language; or
Let the bill die and start over.
If you have not already done so, please email Sen. Morrison and let her know that we want to end gun violence in Illinois. Her email address is: xxxx@gmail.com.
Many have asked if we should organize a protest. We are considering this action. If you, your children or someone you know would be interested in attending such an event, please email us at repdrury@gmail.com.
As always, thank you for the privilege of allowing me to help keep our community safe.
–Scott
To use his own word, this whole thing is entirely disingenuous.
You may recall that Rep. Drury made the same accusations against Sen. Raoul during the attorney general campaign. Raoul said at the time that the bump stock language was suggested by the state police. So, instead of going after his party’s AG nominee, Drury has decided to attack his own state Senator.
Secondly, Rep. Drury has been in the House since 2013 so he ought to know basic procedures by now. Rep. Moylan’s bill is HB1467. The Senate added an amendment. Rep. Moylan can now file a motion to either concur with the Senate’s amendment or non-concur. If a non-concur motion passes, the Senate then has the option to recede from its amendment. And Sen. Morrison has said she would defer to Rep. Moylan’s wishes.
* What are your thoughts on a progressive income tax for Illinois?…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin to file resolution opposing a progressive income tax - the structure supported by Dem gov candidate J.B. Pritzker. Rauner yesterday spoke out about the tax as well, saying it would be a "disaster" for the state.
WHEREAS, A move to amend the constitution to allow for such a repugnant affront to Illinois families would be an act of utter insult to Illinois taxpayers and a dereliction of the duty owed to taxpayers by members of the legislative branch of government, a body that is supposed to improve the general welfare and protect the best interests of all Illinoisans; nothing about creating an unfair, unequal, and avaricious tax system helps the General Assembly accomplish these ends
After fatally mismanaging the Quincy Veterans’ Home, @BruceRauner is letting persistent health issues jeopardize the wellbeing of our nation’s heroes. This is a shameful display of failed leadership. https://t.co/YIiGmT9LaE
Yet unlike Legionnaires’, which is contracted by inhaling water vapor contaminated with the bacteria, the stomach bug state health officials suspect caused the latest Quincy health problems is spread from person to person, rendering a case for structural mismanagement something of a stretch.
Norovirus spreads most frequently in closed environments like nursing homes and assisted living facilities such as Quincy. There is no specific cure for it, meaning the response from care providers is largely limited to isolating patients, casting doubt on what Rauner or his administration could have done to prevent or eliminate it.
Asked how Rauner bears blame for the gastroenteritis outbreak, Pritzker’s campaign did not directly respond, instead attempting to characterize it as further evidence after the Legionnaires’ problems at Quincy that the Republican should not be trusted to handle any health issue at the state facility.
That conflates two very different epidemiological challenges, and leaves an impression–disputed by experts–that more could have, and should have, been done to stop the spread of norovirus at Quincy.
For that, we rate Pritzker’s claim as Mostly False.
Tuesday, Apr 10, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
This bill chills generic competition, leading to fewer choices and higher prices for patients in Illinois. Learn more on the on the Association for Accessible Medicines website.
The Effingham County Board is considering a resolution opposing recent proposals in the state legislature for gun control measures.
The resolution started as a suggestion by local firearms owners and the businesses that cater to them, said Effingham County Board member David Campbell. He modeled the legislation on a similar resolution passed by the Iroquois County Board on March 13.
Campbell consulted with Effingham County State’s Attorney Bryan Kibler, who added a “sanctuary county” section, which attracted the most attention during legislative committee meeting on Monday.
Kibler explained the goal is to protect those people affected by future state legislation by prohibiting the county from enforcing “unconstitutional actions.” He drew a parallel with actions in other fields.
“If you can be a sanctuary county for undocumented immigrants, why can’t you be one for firearms?” Kibler said.
He explained that the section, like the rest of the resolution, is largely symbolic.
“I was in a really surly mood when they sent that to me,” said Kibler.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza has Gov. Bruce Rauner over a barrel — again.
The Republican governor is in a tough political spot this time because Mendoza, a Democrat, has targeted a state budgeting practice that existed long before Rauner took office. He’s just continued it.
And, in an already tough election year, Rauner has few good options.
Mendoza’s Truth in Hiring Act would ban “offshoring,” a practice where executive staff salaries are stashed within state agency budgets, usually to keep the executive’s office budget — in this case the Governor’s Office — low, at least on paper.
Here’s the short and dirty: Mendoza accuses Rauner of playing a shell game.
* Press release…
A bill that would add the Dutch Reach method to Illinois’ Rules of the Road manual and add bike safety questions to the state driver’s license exam passed out of committee Tuesday.
The Dutch Reach method encourages drivers and passengers to use their far hand and reach across their body to open car doors after parallel parking, forcing people to look back for approaching cyclists and other traffic before exiting the car. Research shows it makes drivers and passengers more aware of approaching cyclists, helping prevent crashes and save lives.
“With more people riding bikes in communities across Illinois, these updates to the state’s road manual and driver’s license exam are sorely needed,” said State Rep. Theresa Mah, the bill’s lead sponsor. “The changes will help people driving become more aware of bicyclists and teach them how to travel and exit their cars safely.”
The bill (House Bill 5143) now advances to the full House. It’s co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 20 legislators.
Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) data shows dooring crashes are on the rise across the state, especially in urban areas. In 2015, there were more than 300 reported dooring crashes in Chicago alone – a 50 percent increase over the previous year.
“Getting doored is never too far from the mind of people riding bikes in the Chicago region,” said Ron Burke, Executive Director of the Active Transportation Alliance. “This bill is a good step towards reforming state policy to better reflect the needs and safety of all road users.”
For months, Rep. Mah and advocates have been working collaboratively with the Secretary of State on revamping the road manual and exam’s bicycle safety content for drivers and bike riders, including adding the Dutch Reach.
* Other stuff…
* Can Illinois Restore Net Neutrality Protections?: Khadine Bennett, associate legislative director for the ACLU of Illinois, says states are not allowed to regulate the Internet, which is a task reserved for the FCC. States, however, are allowed to set rules for anyone who does business within. The proposal would not force Internet service providers to maintain net neutrality, she said. If a service provider holds a contract with the state, they would fall under a transparency disclosure.
In 2003, one year before Facebook was founded, a website called Facemash began nonconsensually scraping pictures of students at Harvard from the school’s intranet and asking users to rate their hotness. Obviously, it caused an outcry. The website’s developer quickly proffered an apology. “I hope you understand, this is not how I meant for things to go, and I apologize for any harm done as a result of my neglect to consider how quickly the site would spread and its consequences thereafter,” wrote a young Mark Zuckerberg. “I definitely see how my intentions could be seen in the wrong light.”
In 2004 Zuckerberg cofounded Facebook, which rapidly spread from Harvard to other universities. And in 2006 the young company blindsided its users with the launch of News Feed, which collated and presented in one place information that people had previously had to search for piecemeal. Many users were shocked and alarmed that there was no warning and that there were no privacy controls. Zuckerberg apologized. “This was a big mistake on our part, and I’m sorry for it,” he wrote on Facebook’s blog. “We really messed this one up,” he said. “We did a bad job of explaining what the new features were and an even worse job of giving you control of them.”
Then in 2007, Facebook’s Beacon advertising system, which was launched without proper controls or consent, ended up compromising user privacy by making people’s purchases public. Fifty thousand Facebook users signed an e-petition titled “Facebook: Stop invading my privacy.” Zuckerberg responded with an apology: “We simply did a bad job with this release and I apologize for it.” He promised to improve. “I’m not proud of the way we’ve handled this situation and I know we can do better,” he wrote.
By 2008, Zuckerberg had written only four posts on Facebook’s blog: Every single one of them was an apology or an attempt to explain a decision that had upset users.
In 2010, after Facebook violated users’ privacy by making key types of information public without proper consent or warning, Zuckerberg again responded with an apology—this time published in an op-ed in The Washington Post. “We just missed the mark,” he said. “We heard the feedback,” he added. “There needs to be a simpler way to control your information.” “In the coming weeks, we will add privacy controls that are much simpler to use,” he promised.
I’m going to run out of space here, so let’s jump to 2018 and skip over all the other mishaps and apologies and promises to do better—oh yeah, and the consent decree that the Federal Trade Commission made Facebook sign in 2011, charging that the company had deceptively promised privacy to its users and then repeatedly broken that promise—in the intervening years.
Last month, Facebook once again garnered widespread attention with a privacy related backlash when it became widely known that, between 2008 and 2015, it had allowed hundreds, maybe thousands, of apps to scrape voluminous data from Facebook users—not just from the users who had downloaded the apps, but detailed information from all their friends as well. One such app was run by a Cambridge University academic named Aleksandr Kogan, who apparently siphoned up detailed data on up to 87 million users in the United States and then surreptitiously forwarded the loot to the political data firm Cambridge Analytica. The incident caused a lot of turmoil because it connects to the rolling story of distortions in the 2016 US presidential election. But in reality, Kogan’s app was just one among many, many apps that amassed a huge amount of information in a way most Facebook users were completely unaware of.
* The Sun-Times editorial board has some questions Congress should ask Zuckerberg…
Shouldn’t users be allowed control their personal data? Specifically, should the United States adopt controls similar to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which goes into effect next month and lets users correct data and transfer their data elsewhere, while letting regulators impose big fines on companies that don’t comply? If such a law is not the answer, in what other way can users regain control of their personal information? Why does Facebook oppose a proposed California ballot measure that would give users the right to know what data about them is being collected and how it is being used?
In your prepared remarks released on Monday, Mr. Zuckerberg, you talk about how Facebook has failed individuals. Doesn’t the company, by its enormous reach, also have large responsibilities to our democracy and our nation as a whole?
Facebook knew about Cambridge Analytica’s data gathering back in 2015. Why wasn’t the public told then?
Is the model of a company that collects personal data to sell to a wide variety of advertisers and others simply incompatible with the goal of protecting users’ personal data, some of which is collected without their knowledge? Will Facebook make it possible for users to retract information they no longer want to be accessible to others, including information gathered through facial recognition software? Over the weekend, “Saturday Night Live” mocked you for resisting this kind of empowerment by Facebook users.
How many other companies are using deceptive techniques to gather data via Facebook, and are they mishandling it once they have it? Recently, Facebook suspended another company, CubeYou, that used personality quizzes similar to the one Cambridge Analytica used to access the personal data of users and their friends. Will Facebook be able to stop such abuses in the future or are they beyond control?
Why didn’t Facebook do more to keep fake news from circulating and prevent foreign interference in our elections? Can we expect a future in which trolls and other abuses of social media become a regular part of political campaigns?
How can we be assured that large social media companies won’t use their power to favor politicians whose views align best with those of the companies? How can we be assured that a particular politician or party won’t get broader reach, cheaper ad rates or more access to user information?
We compile a new dataset containing roughly 780,000 bills, combined with more than 16 million roll-call voting records for roughly 6,000 legislators serving in U.S. state legislatures with term limits. […]
Studying four states which provide estimates of the budget impact of specific bills, we find no evidence that electoral incentives encourage incumbents to propose or pass more fiscally irresponsible legislation, contrary to theories of myopic electorates and political business cycles. Taken together, the evidence suggests that electoral incentives successfully induce incumbents to exert productive effort.
* During the last term in office, state lawmakers sponsor fewer bills and pass fewer bills that become law. They also cosponsor fewer bills.
* “The reduction in bill sponsorship among term-limited legislators is concentrated in states where the term limits permanently bans incumbents from the office, as opposed to states where the term limit only requires them to sit out a term before running again.”
* Termed-out legislators serve on fewer committees and are less likely to be involved with top committees. In addition, they are less likely to serve as committee chairmen or chairwomen.
* Legislators who cannot seek another term are present for fewer committee votes, on average. They participate in fewer roll-call votes, on average.
* “These effects are larger … in state legislatures that pay higher salaries.”
How much of an impact term limits really have is kinda beyond my ability to understand the numbers in this study. Perhaps some of you smart folks can read it and tell us in comments.
It’s ironic that the call for fiscal sensibility comes as a proposal in the Senate that would blast many Illinoisans with a blood-boiling increase in gasoline taxes.
Senate Bill 3279 would increase the per-gallon taxes on gasoline by 30 cents — to 60 cents — making it the highest motor fuel tax in the nation. There is even discussion that it should go even higher, to 85 cents a gallon for gasoline and almost $1 a gallon for diesel fuel.
It doesn’t stop there, though. The same Senate proposal calls for a 50 percent hike in vehicle registration fees. That yearly cost is $101 now but would jump to about $150 — although some talk has floated the idea of making the fee $578.
That all sounds well-informed until you search for SB3279 and see it’s a shell bill which has nothing whatsoever to do with the gas tax.
However, if you go back a couple of years, you’ll find a Senate Bill 3279 in the previous General Assembly which did all that. The bill was filed on February 19, 2016, never got a committee hearing and died when the 99th GA adjourned sine die in January of 2017.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday portrayed Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a gun dealer licensing bill as the height of hypocrisy, but Rauner stood his ground in demanding a more “comprehensive” solution.
As he urged the Illinois General Assembly to override the governor’s veto, Emanuel ridiculed Rauner for vetoing the bill licensing state gun dealers on grounds it’s burdensome, yet imposing new regulations on catfish sales in restaurants. […]
After weekend talks with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, Emanuel believes the chances for an override may well come down to the votes of three DuPage Republicans, all of who are being challenged by women.
The mayor is hoping to enlist support from Cardinal Blase Cupich, perhaps by persuading the cardinal to go out to DuPage and lobby those three lawmakers. Cupich has already made one trip to Springfield.
It’s down to three suburban Republican votes? The bill fell seven votes shy of a veto-proof majority in the House. It only received 30 votes in the Senate - six votes shy of passage. So they flipped ten members?
I’m a bit dubious, but I suppose we’ll see. The Senate is journalizing the veto today, so the 15-day clock is now ticking.
The campaign worker who sued Madigan’s political operations is expanding the case where she alleged her career got sidelined when she accused a Madigan lieutenant for sexual harassment.
Alaina Hampton has added Madigan-controlled 13th Ward and Democratic Majority political funds as defendants to her federal lawsuit, according to a Hampton statement. She had originally sued Madigan’s campaign fund and the state Democratic Party.
“I will continue to seek ways to hold the defendants accountable for the sustained sexual harassment I experienced, because no one should be forced to quit her job because she is unsafe in her workplace,” Hampton said in the statement released Monday night.
Hampton, who first told the Tribune of receiving inappropriate texts from former Madigan aide Kevin Quinn, contended in the original lawsuit her effort to stop his unwanted advances effectively prevented her from getting further work on Democratic campaigns.
The campaign worker who filed a federal lawsuit against House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political operation is now asking City Hall watchdogs to look into Chicago Alderman Marty Quinn, the brother of the ousted political operative she accused of sexual harassment.
Alaina Hampton sent a letter Wednesday to Joseph Ferguson, the city’s inspector general, and Steve Berlin, executive director of the city’s ethics board, accusing the 13th Ward alderman of failing to take appropriate actions when she reported harassing texts of his brother, Kevin Quinn.
Hampton wants city officials to review whether Ald. Quinn failed to comply with ethics and employment rules.
* Kristen McQueary on JB Pritzker’s opposition to the private school tax credit program…
Pritzker can avail himself of school choice. So can Gov. Bruce Rauner, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and members of the Chicago City Council, many of whom send their own kids to private school or work the system to gain entry into elite CPS schools.
Pritzker knows this. His family has been deeply involved in the school choice movement involving charters for the same reasons. Not every kid fits in the box of public education. Parents need choices. They’re craving it.
Roughly 60,000 scholarship requests statewide have flowed into the program, which relaunched last month after high demand crashed the computer system the first time around. But private donations so far will cover only a fraction of those kids. Worse, Pritzker’s comments and a bill to eliminate the program have stalled efforts to raise money, organizers say. And for what? To flatter the teachers unions? To position Pritzker as far to the left as possible? […]
Again, let’s give Pritzker the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t know what he was saying. He doesn’t understand the program. It’s the only plausible explanation. Why? Because the other explanation is that a billionaire candidate for governor is willing to impose a lower education standard on poor families that he would never tolerate for his own. [Emphasis added]
Ouch.
As we discussed the other day, donors pledged $36 million on the first day of the program in early January and just $5 million since then.
* Meanwhile, from the Rauner campaign…
On Friday, JB Pritzker appeared on WJBC and criticized the property tax system as “regressive” and “not fair,” despite personally abusing the system to secure a $230,000 tax break. In doing so, Pritzker forced other residents who are unable to afford politically-connected lawyers to pay more in taxes to cover his reduction.
“Lowering the tax burden is the goal. By lowering the tax rate that they might pay on income taxes, and also, very important, lowering local property taxes, which are so regressive. The poorest neighborhoods and in middle class neighborhoods, people are paying higher rates of property taxes than people who live in wealthy neighborhoods, they’re paying lower rates. That’s just not fair.” - JB Pritzker on WJBC
Pritzker is hypocritically criticizing a system he took advantage of himself. This comes after months of Pritzker’s refusals to condemn Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, the man implicated in multiple independent reviews as having directed a corrupt property tax system that benefitted political insiders like Pritzker and Mike Madigan.
It’s “just not fair” that taxpayers are paying the price for JB Pritzker to benefit from a corrupt system while refusing to criticize Joe Berrios.
* Sometimes, you notice a little something when reading a bunch of stories on the same topic and a blog post idea emerges. This is one of those posts. Tribune…
But the budget proposal Rauner offered in February also did not account for an immediate drop in the tax rate, which is now 4.95 percent for individuals, up from 3.75. Instead, his budget plan would spend the extra money from the tax hike, while suggesting pension cost savings could generate as much as $1 billion to pay for a modest rollback of about a quarter-point at some point down the road.
To accomplish that, Rauner pointed to pension legislation introduced by Cullerton and co-sponsored by House Republican leader Jim Durkin. It passed the Senate last spring before stalling in the House. Rauner said the bill was “not perfect” but that he wants it sent to his desk.
Asked if the speaker would allow the bill to be called for a vote, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said, “So far the sponsor has not persuaded many members that it meets the standards set by the Illinois Supreme Court in various pension rulings.”
* Brown was more up-front about his feelings with the Sun-Times…
“You can’t really react with a straight face,” Brown said of the governor’s desire to roll back the income tax after passing pension reform. “It’s all predicated by a pension law change some people say is unconstitutional. So I guess it’s a pipe dream.”
“The Rauner priorities seem the same as the past. He has generally failed to persuade many that this is a path to improved prosperity,” said Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Despite Rauner’s insistence that his plan is bipartisan, or non-partisan, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown characterized most of Rauner’s agenda as a retread for which there is no support.
“He offers no explanation of why they would want to agree,” Brown said of legislators stance on Rauner’s demands, calling it “the same mumbo-jumbo he’s been peddling for several years without any persuasive arguments, and therein lies part of his problem with why none of this has been passed.”
Brown, too, noted the governor didn’t list improvements to the Quincy Veterans Home as one of the things he wants to focus on: “It appears it has quickly fallen as a priority.”
Rauner’s re-election effort continues to be hindered by open wounds from his narrow, 3-point win over state Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton.
The two still haven’t talked.
Ives has said she will vote for him, but that she has no interest in speaking to Rauner.
Whether she’s a sore lose, or whether Rauner is at fault for being unable to swallow his pride or an inability to overcome a reputation for betraying his word, the divide stands to prevent Rauner from getting even Republican support for elements of his agenda.
Ives has returned to Springfield, and she isn’t sure how the governor will achieve his stated goals of a balanced budget and pension reform.
“People are very skeptical on the budget,” she said. “First of all, politically speaking I think House Speaker Mike Madigan wants to make sure Rauner doesn’t have any success, but Rauner needs success if he’s going to do anything in November to get elected.”
Even though Ives has been publicly critical of the governor, GOP Leader Bill Brady believes the representative and her supporters will be in Rauner’s corner by the time the election rolls around.
“They know. They’re smart. They’re activists,” he said. “They know staying home is a vote for JB Pritzker and Mike Madigan and I believe they’re smart enough to know that.”
But if that’s an olive branch to Democrats, Rauner still has problems in his own party. He still has not spoken to Jeanne Ives to mend fences after a rough and tumble primary election, although the governor said he hopes to soon.
Instead of uniting his base, Rauner says, he is more interested in leading a kind of non-partisan crusade.
“What we need is the support of everyone in the state,” he said. “We need everyone to come together to push back against the corruption and failure of the existing regime that’s controlled our state.”
Incumbent Bruce Rauner’s narrow defeat of Jeanne Ives, a state representative he once characterized as a “fringe” candidate, cannot be spun as anything less than a rebuke of the way government has been operating.
* DGA…
Day 21: Rauner’s Outreach to Ives Was One Text Message, and He Lied About It
At a press conference yesterday, Governor Bruce Rauner was absolutely besieged by reporters’ questions about his efforts to patch relations up state Representative Jeanne Ives. Rauner claimed his campaign “called” Ives’ “office right after the primary”, and that they “were told…that she did not have an interest in speaking with me.” As embarrassing as this admission is for a sitting Governor, it also happened not to be true.
Capitol Fax reported yesterday that the full extent of Rauner’s outreach to Ives was an unanswered text message from one staffer to another. As a reminder, 341,836 Republicans voted for Ives - 48% of the Republican primary vote.
“What’s worse?” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “The fact that Bruce Rauner’s outreach to Jeanne Ives and the 48% of Republican voters that supported her was a single text message… or the fact that Rauner lied about it?”
* Meanwhile, the Pro-Life Action League is planning to protest outside Gov. Rauner’s big fundraiser Thursday night with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. So far, though, only a handful of people have signed up on Facebook.
[Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady] said there have been initial bipartisan talks about the potential for a statewide public works bill funded, at least in part, by expanded casino gambling in the state.
Asked by a reporter later about the talks, Brady said, “It’s as real as it’s ever been.”
“Speaker (Michael) Madigan, I think, wants a capital plan. I know the governor does. I think John Cullerton does. We’ve had some discussions,” Brady said. “You know, everyone going into re-election, it’s a difficult year. Everyone would like to be able to show some accomplishment. I’m hoping to leverage that.” […]
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said, “There are discussions and gaming may figure into it. It’s kind of hard to grasp how far things might go.” Brown added that as he has in the past, Madigan has recused himself on gaming issues.
Brady’s comments came a day after Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin appeared doubtful that Democrats would back a large scale infrastructure plan in an election year.
Group health insurance bills climbed during the State’s budget impasse in FY2016 and FY2017, when the program received no general operating funds. About $4 billion from last fall’s sale of backlog bonds was used to pay down group health bills. As a result, the amount of unpaid health insurance bills declined to $1.6 billion at the end of February 2018 from $5.2 billion in October 2017, according to a recent report by the Illinois General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA).
COGFA’s report also provides information about how long it currently takes the State to pay its bills. For group health insurance bills, the delay is as much as 309 days, still high but significantly lower than 734 days a year ago.
Housing advocates and other community activists — including someone in a “giant Alexa costume” — are going to City Hall on Tuesday, calling on Amazon to help people living in whichever city gets the giant company’s new headquarters.
Members of the Grassroots Collaborative are scheduled to hold a news conference to press for community involvement in Amazon’s planning. They want living wages in all jobs created by the company, as well as affordable housing guarantees to help stave off gentrification that they warn could push residents out of working-class neighborhoods as thousands of Amazon workers move in.
“This setup is a losing deal for everybody but Amazon,” the group said in a news release Monday. “Instead of trying to win the race to the bottom, residents in cities bidding for Amazon are coming together to collectively demand that wherever Amazon HQ2 ends up it actually benefits the people who live and work there.”
Chicago voters like the idea of trying to lure Amazon’s second headquarters here, at least in the abstract. And they give Mayor Rahm Emanuel some credit for leading the effort.
That’s the gist of a new poll released today that found, as in an earlier survey, voters see some benefits to chasing after a big corporate prize so long as you’re not hitting them over the head with the potential cost. […]
Asked flatly if they back the city’s efforts to win Amazon, which promises to bring up to 50,000 jobs to the winning city, 48 percent said the bid has their strong support, with another 27 percent saying they somewhat support the move. By comparison, just 12 percent said they strongly or somewhat oppose, with 13 percent saying they don’t know.
Support was greatest among Gen Xers (84 percent), and somewhat stronger among African-Americans (81 percent) then Latinos (78 percent) or whites (73 percent). […]
The survey found somewhat stronger backing for the HQ2 bid than an earlier poll I reported on last month. But that poll, unlike this one, at least mentioned that incentives are being offered to Amazon, though it failed to mention the reported figure: $2.2 billion, mostly in state job credits.
The latest poll, including methodology, is here. The earlier poll Greg mentioned is here.
* Related…
* Brady vs. Pritzker on Amazon: Illinois Senate Republican leader Bill Brady of Bloomington said he believes Bezos will be concerned about higher tax rates, contending that J.B. Pritzker’s call for a graduated income tax could doom Chicago in the contest… “I really believe, if what I read about Jeff Bezos and his philosophy at Amazon is the only thing that would keep them from coming here would be the J.B. Pritzker tax increase,” Brady said.
* Who’s going to win the Amazon hustle?: New York University marketing professor Scott Galloway thinks all the speculation about the new site is moot at this point. “The cake is baked,” he said, and the winner is one of three D.C.-area sites. After all, D.C. is where Bezos recently acquired a huge house, where he and his family might want to spend time, where the political action is, where decisions will be made about the company’s future. And given that President Donald Trump has expressed special animus for Amazon, wouldn’t it be better to be a player where the decisions are made? “The only thing standing between Amazon and a trillion-dollar market capitalization is regulation,” said Galloway, dubbed the Amazon whisperer after his lucky or brilliant prediction that Amazon would buy Whole Foods last year (it did a few weeks later). “The ultimate prophylactic against regulation is to be the local boy in D.C.”
After a judge ruled against the city of Harvey as it seeks money the Illinois Comptroller’s Office is holding, the city’s mayor warns that massive layoffs could be on the horizon.
Harvey Mayor Eric Kellogg convened an emergency meeting on Monday after a judge ruled that the state acted appropriately in withholding $1.4 million to cover shortfalls in the city’s pension plan.
“The city of Harvey has never undergone massive layoffs like the ones we’re expecting for our police and fire departments,” Kellogg said. […]
In a statement, Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s office said it acted appropriately.
“The legislature passed a law allowing pension funds to certify to our office that municipalities have failed to make required payments to pension funds,” the statement reads.
In 2015, a Cook County judge found that the city of Harvey, a south Chicago suburb, owes more than $7.3 million to its police pension fund after failing to make payments for nearly a decade.
To satisfy this judgment, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is currently withholding more than $1 million in revenues due to the city. […]
The city, represented by Ken Hurst with Roth Fioretti, owes payroll of $400,000 due on April 13 as well as an additional $300,000 for its employees’ health insurance, but currently holds less than $200,000 in its general fund, according to the suit. […]
Harvey is currently in serious debt, with a deficit of $5.9 million, and its collection rate on real estate taxes is just 58 percent. […]
In 2015, Harvey reached an $18.5 million settlement with Chicago to pay back the money it owes for water taken from the city without paying and resold to other suburbs.
* Ex-Harvey official made secret recordings for prosecutors in bribery investigation, unsealed documents show
* Federal investigation continues in Markham after mayor’s guilty plea: At the center of the investigation is a series of secret recordings made by a now-deceased Harvey comptroller, Joseph Letke, whose firm was also paid by Markham. Letke recorded conversations with Harvey officials, including Donald Luster, a consultant to Harvey given influence over economic development by Mayor Eric Kellogg. Luster said he could fast-track projects if given bribes, according to the affidavit filed in court for a search warrant.
Speaking later at the City Club of Chicago, Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady said the most powerful agent for Republican unity will be Pritzker.
“That’s the simple election question,” Brady said. “If you think we can grow our state by raising the tax burden on families and businesses, vote for JB Pritzker. He clearly supports that.”
However, Republicans are taking a big chance if they believe their most powerful force for victory is that the opponent is so distasteful.
Many Democrats assumed the same thing two years ago, when Donald Trump won the White House.
Many Democrats assumed the same thing four years ago, when Bruce Rauner won the governor’s race.
But, yeah, it’s gonna be a variation of “Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan” all the way through November. It’s the best and probably only shot Rauner really has.
