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No current lobster registration; Depression-era budget; Other stuff

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Illinois

* I’ll have more for subscribers tomorrow, but here’s the lowdown at the moment. First, Illinois Issues’ new Statehouse bureau chief Jamey Dunn reports that lobbyists aren’t currently being allowed to register with the state…

In the wake of a court ruling that barred the state from collecting increased lobbying fees that went into effect January 1, Secretary of State Jesse White’s office has pulled the lobbyist registration and reporting system from its Web site.

Both the ACLU and the Illinois Society of Association Executives sued White over the fee increase, claiming it was an unconstitutional tax on free speech.

Pamela Tolson, executive director of the Illinois Society of Association Executives, said she had already advised her members not to pay the increased fees after a court granted a temporary halt on collection. Now, she says lobbyists also may not be required to report their spending for the last six months by the deadline at the end of this month. […]

It appears that White is washing his hands of the entire situation until the courts sort it out. If that doesn’t happen before next week, lobbyists will return to Springfield for the spring legislative session without having registered and unsure of what reporting requirements they face in the near future. (White’s website does say that after the court makes its final decision, lobbyists who register within two weeks will be retroactively registered from January 1.) So the result, for the time being, is that an attempt to create more transparency has led to having none.

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform has more over at Illinoize…

…while the federal injunction applies only to non-profits, the Secretary of State ended registration for all lobbyists. They could have kept registration open, collecting the $1,000 fee from for-profit entities and no fee from non-profits, or they could have collected the old $150 fee from non-profits and, after the two suits were concluded, adjusted the fee accordingly. Instead, it now appears that Illinois is the only state in the country without lobbyist registration.

Let’s hope this gets resolved soon.

Again, I’ll have more tomorrow for subscribers.

* The News-Gazette has a fascinating look at the U of I’s budget during part of the Great Depression. Go read it all.

On March 1, 1933, the U of I ordered 10 percent pay cuts - far higher than the U of I’s plan announced this week to trim many paychecks by 2 percent via furloughs. And then the U of I really fell on its sword…

A month after the UI salary reductions went into effect in 1933, board members and administrators traveled to Springfield and asked for a two-year appropriation (the state then operated on a biennial budget) of $7.8 million – 30 percent less than what was the existing budget and the lowest spending plan at the university since 1919. Included was an additional salary cut of 5 to 6 percent for highly paid faculty and administrators.

Don’t bet on that happening again any time soon.

* And Zorn whacks Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez but good today. Go have a look-see.

* Other stuff that I didn’t get to today…

* Rivals criticize Giannoulias touting Bright Start success in TV ads: Only 3 percent of the families with money in Bright Start had all their money invested in Core Plus — the one fund out of 21 funds that suffered devastating losses. Ironically, Core Plus was supposed to be one of the least risky — designed for parents of upperclassmen shortly bound for college. Giannoulias traded letters with Oppenheimer throughout 2008 as the funds plummeted. His opponents say that as a former banker, Giannoulias, better than anyone, should have known to pull the plug sooner on the fund which was heavily invested in risky mortgage-backed securities.

* Ill. Senate candidates say little on immigration

* Ruff’s replacement has a lot of cleaning up to do

* Public trust? Not here. Not yet.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jan 6, 10 @ 2:32 pm

Comments

That’s good news for Congressional candidate DK Hirner. Why on earth would someone running for Congress tell audiences she isn’t a lobbyist when her name appears on the registered lobbyist list? And why would any group endorse a candidate who has such a hard time telling the truth about what she does for a living?

Comment by Dem primary voter Wednesday, Jan 6, 10 @ 2:44 pm
Amalia, this time you were deleted. Next time you’ll be banned. Tone down the rhetoric or go away.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jan 6, 10 @ 2:57 pm
While we all have come to see the political nature of a university president’s job, the ease in which the UI president’s “unprecedented” statement was shown to be wrong, should be an embarrassment. Does he lack a staff to research his statement beforehand? Does anyone over there Google?

While it is embarrassing enough to have the university interim president easily proven wrong, the fact that he is wrong about his own institution’s history makes it doubly so.

I hope these people are embarrassed for failing UI history.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jan 6, 10 @ 3:50 pm
DPV,

The scope of the Illinois Lobbyist Registration Act is incredibly broad. It basically requires the registration of nearly everybody who in the course of their work attempts to directly influence the opinions of state elected officials.

This includes many, many people people who do not necessarily lobby for a “living,” as you say. I have no idea what Hirner’s situation may or may not be, but I know for a fact that dozens - and maybe hundreds - of people register as lobbyists in order to err on the side of caution (and comply with the law) even though they spend only a small portion of their time at work attempting to directly influence the views of public officials.

Just because you register as a lobbyist in Illinois does not mean that you are in fact “a lobbyist.”

Comment by Coach Wednesday, Jan 6, 10 @ 3:57 pm
–In those days, more than 75 percent of the UI budget came from state funds. Today, the state provides about 31 percent of all UI support, including pension and health care payments.–

Fascinating, indeed.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jan 6, 10 @ 4:36 pm
Cheryle Jackson called Alexi G.’s ad(s) obnoxious.

This from a woman who shows up late to the Tribune Editorial Board meeting, and fires her campaign manager on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

If Cheryle Jackson loses the primary, which I think she will, it will have everything to do with her and nothing/no one else.

Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Jan 6, 10 @ 4:42 pm
Actually, I didn’t write that she was a lobbyist for a “living.” Her job title isn’t the issue.
As you wrote: “It basically requires the registration of nearly everybody who in the course of their work attempts to directly influence the opinions of state elected officials.”

That would be the common definition of lobbying. Hirner should err on the side of caution when talking to audiences on the campaign trail. Legalistic hair-splitting is a difficult way to start a campaign. Depending on what your definition of “is” is.

Comment by Dem primary voter Wednesday, Jan 6, 10 @ 5:50 pm
what was ever gained by anyone except for tracking contract lobsters by forcing registration? ( now with the financials there is scary enforcement hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles) Who cares if you go to the dome and talk to the puppets if you are a staffer for some random association. The whole registration thing is a scam. The Tumbler is… gettin your money for nuthin and giving you an ID for a fee.

Comment by The CARDINAL Thursday, Jan 7, 10 @ 2:13 am