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Committee deadline week continues with gusto

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A Senate committee Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would create a foundation for the Illinois State Fair.

Senate Bill 2903 would create the Illinois State Fairgrounds Foundation under the state Department of Agriculture to raise private funds that could be used at the state fairgrounds in Springfield and DuQuoin.

The foundation would be overseen by a 12-member board appointed by the four legislative leaders and Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Rauner has called for creation of the foundation in part to help pay for an estimated $180 million in deferred maintenance for buildings and other facilities at the two fairgrounds.

The governor just created, without any legislative action, a private economic development organization. The House Democrats have been arguing he should do the same thing here.

Then again, there is a statute on the books creating a trust fund for the mansion…

The Illinois Executive Mansion Trust Fund is created as a separate trust fund outside the State treasury whose funds are not subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, for the purposes of improving, restoring, maintaining, furnishing and operating the Illinois Executive Mansion and the Hayes Home, and for the furnishing of the official offices of the Governor located in the State Capitol in Springfield and the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. The State Treasurer shall be custodian of the fund, ex officio, and shall invest moneys in the fund in the same manner and subject to the same restrictions as moneys in the State treasury and shall pay out the moneys in the fund as directed by the Governor for the purposes specified in this Section and for no other purpose.

* Meanwhile, in other news…

Colleges in Illinois would not be allowed to ask prospective students about criminal convictions during the admissions process under a bill approved Tuesday by the House Higher Education Committee.

The legislation, HB 4446, is sponsored by Rep. Barbara Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake. It was approved on a 16-1 roll call.

“This bill is part of the overarching idea that education and meaningful employment helps reduce recidivism,” Wheeler said. “This provides an opportunity for students — adult students, young students — who may have had a criminal record. It gives them an opportunity to apply for school without feeling any roadblocks or having any roadblocks.”

But….

Don Sevener is a lobbyist for Northern Illinois University. He said the school opposes the bill because it would prevent schools from taking steps to protect people already on campus.

Good points on both sides.

* Other stuff…

* Editorial: How to give poorer kids a fairer cut of state dollars for school: A strength of the bill introduced Wednesday, by Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, is that it attempts to minimize or eliminate the number of middle-tier school districts — not too rich, but not too poor — that would lose state revenue in a funding formula overhaul. Clearly, this provision is designed to draw support for the bill from both Republican and Democrats legislators who represent such districts, but it also feels fundamentally fair. Nobody wants to see districts that are doing just OK get walloped.

* Emanuel pension bill now in Rauner’s court: But Catherine Kelly, a spokeswoman for the governor, indicated he was not inclined to sign it without action on his so-called turnaround agenda — the pro-business, union-weakening proposals he describes as “structural reforms”… “I don’t have any idea why (Cullerton) would [send the bill to Rauner] now,” Nekritz said. “I think it’s very hard for us to override vetoes. We’ve proven in the House that it’s very hard unless the Republicans are on board.” If the bill isn’t signed, the city will have to pay off the $220 million loan and come up with nearly $1 billion more over the next four years in additional pension payments.

* Government consolidation efforts start to gain steam in Illinois: On Wednesday, the Senate Local Government Committee announced formation of a subcommittee that will begin hearings next week on various consolidation bills with an aim toward acting on consolidation proposals yet this spring. “There are a lot of bills looking at how to consolidate government,” said Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, chairman of the Local Government Committee. “That’s why we did the subcommittee, to look and see which ones are important and which ones we are going to push forward. If we can do anything to save money during this budget impasse, we should be working toward that.”

* Bill would mean no loss of professional license for student loan default: “Somebody who’s that far behind, they’ve got a lot of stresses on them anyway. There may be an illness or a death in the family, who knows? The last thing they need to be threatened with is losing their livelihood in the meantime. If we’re going to get them back on track with their debt we need to keep them working.” Republicans on the committee voted against the bill and questioned why it was needed… “As of last year when we were looking at this we had 21 people who we had issued letters to,” Gricevich said. “This is intended to be just for really rare cases.”

* Lawmaker introduces two new bills to address the Illinois heroin epidemic: The sponsor of the proposals, state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, says House Bill 5593 will help educate heroin addicts who receive government assistance about the available treatment options as well as naloxone, an antidote that quickly counteracts the effects of an opiate overdose… The second bill, HB5594, would amend the Drug Court Treatment Act by prohibiting drug court judges from denying medication-assisted treatments like methadone for defendants.

* Bill aims to improve response to sex assault cases: Bennett said the bill would “completely redo the way that we address sexual assault cases, from the investigation level to what hospitals do with the examination kits, to how long they have to hold onto them, to the way that police officers are trained, the way that 911 operators are trained. Now there will be mandatory training to address some of these concerns.”

* Senate panel OKs bill allowing drone training for law enforcement

* Gun-rights advocates lobby for improved concealed carry law: Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, said that the lobbyists he spoke with didn’t push any specific change for the concealed carry law, which was passed three years ago and given limited tweaks last year, but advocated to keep fighting for gun rights. Illinois was the last state in the nation to pass a concealed carry law.

* A plan to temporarily suspend gun permits of people in Illinois who show signs of being a danger to themselves or others is headed to the House floor: Addison Democratic Rep. Kathleen Willis says her proposal to allow family members and close friends to file a petition to temporarily revoke a person’s ability to purchase guns is a response to mass shootings and suicide deaths. The petition for revocation of a person’s Firearm Owners Identification card could be filed in any circuit court.

* Van Pelt advances plan to protect children during police interrogations

* After a lengthy debate, #SenCom passes Sen. @DonHarmonIL’s SB 2143 prohibiting sale of bobcat pelts

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 11:16 am

Comments

I’ve seen daily tweets and articles promoting Manar’s school funding formula change but I have not seen any concrete analysis, by school district with future projections, on the local impact and overall total cost. Without that information, it’s just talk. Manar should be sharing a concrete analysis.

Comment by FAIRNESS AND FAIRNESS ONLY Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 11:28 am
The federales ask about student drug convictions on the FAFSA form.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 11:29 am
Fairness,
That info comes from the Illinois State Board of Education. For some reason, the Board hasn’t released that info, or the info on the governor’s plan, or any other breakdown.
Odd, isn’t it.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 11:37 am
=== The governor just created, without any legislative action, a private economic development organization. The House Democrats have been arguing he should do the same thing here. ===

I’m surprised the Dems didn’t challenge the EDO.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 11:45 am
A lot of sites owned and operated by the State have foundations that are not in Statute and can raise money for the site. And the State Fair Act (20 ILCS 210/10) explicitly states that the Department can raise private donations for the fair. So this really is mostly about activity equally achievement more than anything.

With the Mansion fund, I would argue that it should be in Statute, so that a clear line can be drawn for a fundraiser at the Mansion that it’s for the foundation instead of other things that the G may have a particular interest in.

Comment by Juice Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 11:48 am
At the very least, asking college applicants about violent or sex-related convictions should absolutely be allowed when colleges force students to live together through the dorms their first year. I also think its relevant for the university to know about theft crimes for this reason.

Hope this bill isn’t drafted as broadly as this sounds.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 11:49 am
Norseman - they are

http://herald-review.com/business/state-and-regional/house-panel-begins-look-at-state-economic-development-corporation/article_e9749219-e15d-52dd-9d2e-89872dfd4ab6.html

Schultz is a funny guy

They said the corporation will list all of its donors on its website but were reluctant to disclose information such as the name of the law firm that paid the filing fee for its articles of incorporation.

Schultz said repeatedly that he wanted to consult with lawyers before disclosing some of the information Lang requested, including “a specific list of everyone who’s an employee or a consultant to state government that was involved in the decision to create the corporation” and emails and other written communications.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 11:53 am
Anonymous @ 11:53, thank you for the update.

Please pick a name.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 11:57 am
People deserve second chances, just as schools and employers deserve the chance to make an informed decision when choosing whether or not to grant people that second chance.
HB4446 makes it far more difficult to create a ’safe space’ on campus for all students, even if you learn of their prior convictions after the fact.
Most importantly, schools have limited resources. Schools must weigh their desire to provide these students with another chance against their ability to provide them with any support and resources necessary to help them fulfill their potential. The lack of prior disclosure could result in at-risk students attending schools that are not well suited to their needs or lack the ability to keep both these students and the larger student population sufficiently safe and supported.

Comment by No Use For A Name Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 12:07 pm
Michelle Flaherty, thank you. Agreed! Manar and the ISBE released a revised formula and showed the impact by district a few years ago. Currently, my local school district is funded ~ 80% property tax, 15% state GSA and 5% federal. Mr. Manar’s formula update would have put a significant dent in the GSA that we had. And we’re not rolling anywhere near $20k/ student in overall spending… not even half of that. Announcements without supporting analysis should be a red flag to all of us.

Comment by FAIRNESS AND FAIRNESS ONLY Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 12:12 pm
The anti-gun bill is far too broad unless a psychiatric exam is performed before the FOID is suspended.

Comment by Hick Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 12:17 pm
Barbra Wheeler has a good concept but the execution misses the mark. the problem is not asking or having the infromation; the problem is IF the school are denying entrance based on criminal records. The solution is not to make criminal records invisible, it is to defne how information can be used in admitting or denying students or i. other actions for admitted students.

Comment by Ghost Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 12:19 pm
Sen. Brady voted against his own bill a couple of years back. Just sayin’.
http://m.sj-r.com/article/20140301/NEWS/140309930/0/rwd

Comment by Austin Blvd Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 12:26 pm
If HB 4446 is passed would it mean that a school could not ask if a potential student is in the statewide Sex Offender Database which is accessible on the Internet?

Comment by Hit or Miss Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 12:32 pm
From the Illinois state Police site : “To legally possess firearms or ammunition, Illinois residents must have a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card, which is issued by the Illinois State Police to any qualified applicant. ”

So temporarily revoking the FOID means you now have no legal right to own a firearm. Who will be tasked with confiscating firearms and ammunition and then insuring they are returned? What about the cases where multiple people holding FOID cards live at the same address, are you still planning on removing all firearms from the residence?

Comment by pass Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 12:38 pm
Agree with Fairness that we need more information.

Which are the “rich” districts? How much state funding will they lose. Will all but the rich districts be held harmless permanently? Is Chicago a rich district? If not, why not-it’s a world city with a ton of money. Read about Chicago’s huge TIF piggy bank. Indeed, Chicago/s property taxes, even after the recent increase are still substantially lower than those of many surrounding suburbs. If you live in the suburbs, ask your homeowner pals in the city. You’ll be surprised–and annoyed–at all of the “we have to help Chicago” rhetoric. Chicago is more than able to fund its own schools and give every kid living there a Lake Forest level education. Maybe they’d rather the rest of the state chipped in, but it’s not necessary.

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 12:40 pm
“Gun-rights advocates lobby for improved concealed carry law.” Have any of the people who attend IGOLD even read the concealed carry law?

They claim that Brandon Phelps HB183 is a “shall-issue” bill, but it created an unelected Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board that hears anonymous accusations from any police agency in the state against applicants. The “standard” of review to deny a license is preponderance of the evidence. Same legal “standard” as red light camera violations.

Hundreds of people have lawsuits going against the Board, paid from their own pocket. What are Phelps and the “gun rights advocates” doing about that, other than marching in the rain?

Comment by Payback Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 12:58 pm
(no snark here) Good to know catfish giggin is gonna be legal now. Finally ILGA does something to help make some peoples lives easier.Oh and could y’all do a little somethin for Higher Ed while your at it? Can’t we all get along?

Comment by the Cardinal Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 2:54 pm
Sexual assaults are an all-too-common occurrence on college campuses, and they aren’t committed by folks with prior convictions.

If the universities aim is to keep students safe, it seems like their efforts are misdirected.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Apr 7, 16 @ 7:46 pm