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A rare display of bipartisanship, but…

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Illinois

* Charles Thomas at ABC 7…

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner earned rare praise from Democratic lawmakers Thursday for his effort to reform the state’s criminal justice system.

Rauner - the super-wealthy, fiscally conservative North Shore Republican - is Illinois’ new criminal justice reform champion. Even Democrats called a truce in the bitter state budget war to give Rauner some credit.

During the noon hour, the governor signed the latest criminal justice reform bill. The measure ensures that released prison inmates have a state I.D. upon release from custody.

“It’s extraordinary that we haven’t had this law, this rule before. But better late than never,” Rauner said. […]

“I want to thank the Governor for his leadership on this,” said State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago.

* Tina Sfondeles at the Sun-Times…

The new law was sparked by recommendations from Rauner’s Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform, which is attempting to reduce the state’s prison population by 25 percent by 2025. Rauner has signed 15 criminal justice bills since taking office.

“This bill helps those who made a mistake get re-established in their lives,” Rauner said. “By being productive citizens, they’re less vulnerable to going back and making a mistake and committing criminal behavior, and therefore, we’re keeping our communities safer.”

State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, a member of the commission, called the new law a “symbol of bipartisan work that is desperately needed in this state.

“I’m hopeful that our work on criminal justice reforms will seep out in other policy areas,” he added.

* Derrick Blakely at CBS 2…

“If you got your state ID, you got your fist step back into society and doing the right thing,” one ex-offender at the event said.

It’s part of a drive by Rauner to reduce the prison population by 25 percent in a decade and cut down on repeat offenders.

“Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody deserves a second chance,” Rauner said.

* Kim Geiger at the Tribune…

But the bill signing ceremony was held at A Safe Haven, a West Side homeless shelter that does business with the state and could lose access to taxpayer funding if the governor and lawmakers can’t agree to a spending plan to replace a stopgap measure that expires Jan. 1.

The organization’s president, Neli Vazquez Rowland, organized the ceremony, which included testimonials from two individuals who credit A Safe Haven’s services with helping them out of a cycle of incarceration.

Rauner and his wife are longtime supporters of A Safe Haven, the governor said. The couple’s personal donations date to the organization’s founding more than 20 years ago, when the Rauners provided the “angel dust” that helped get the group off the ground, Rowland has said.

But given the budget stalemate between Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, taxpayers’ payments to the organization could be snarled in the political fight. Meetings between the two sides came to a halt earlier this month amid disagreement over how to proceed with negotiations. If no deal is reached by the end of the year, state funding for A Safe Haven and some other not-for-profit providers of state services could be held up as a result.

Asked about the budget implications for the organization, Rauner would not respond to the question. His staff had instructed reporters only to ask “on topic” questions.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:22 am

Comments

“His staff had instructed reporters only to ask “on topic” questions.”

Instructed? No, sorry governor’s office. Owning the edit boards doesn’t mean you can actually give orders to reporters.

Comment by Union proud Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:29 am
== Asked about the budget implications for the organization, Rauner would not respond to the question. His staff had instructed reporters only to ask “on topic” questions.==

Time for the reporter to write a story about Rauner trying to control the news.

Comment by RNUG Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:30 am
Reformers have been working on that ID-for-inmates upon-release policy for more than a decade. It’s a shame it has taken so long to be enacted.

Comment by Anon Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:30 am
===sked about the budget implications for the organization, Rauner would not respond to the question. His staff had instructed reporters only to ask “on topic” questions.===

“… and as reporters, we obliged.”

That paragraph does not absolve the lack of fortitude shown these past 2 years.

Maybe the next sentence could also be…

===sked about the budget implications for the organization, Rauner would not respond to the question. His staff had instructed reporters only to ask “on topic” questions.===

“… oh well.”

The more I read it, it’s embarrassing to write that and have that crutch as the reason these 2 years Rauner has gotten a “pass”.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:34 am
Happy to know there are areas of agreement. Let’s focus on areas of agreement. Politicians are transient creatures. Moving the ball forward on any issue we all agree is a good idea is the name of the game.

Comment by Biker Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:34 am
===Rauner - the super-wealthy, fiscally conservative North Shore Republican===

Fiscally conservative? Ha! That’s a laugher. I can think of about 7 billion reasons that ain’t true.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:41 am
===and as reporters, we obliged===

No, they didn’t. He was obviously asked the question. He just refused to answer.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:42 am
It’s a start. Keep working together.

Comment by Rocky Rosi Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:43 am
“fiscally conservative”

What a joke! Run up the State’s bills and advocate for a bankrupcy option.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:45 am
Rauner is “fiscally conservative?”

That’s quite a scoop, Charles. Can you paint us a picture, by the numbers?

Talk about phoning it in. Just bizarre.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:47 am
===No, they didn’t. He was obviously asked the question. He just refused to answer.===

True.

My frustration got the best of me and I read that with my frustration and it got the better of me.

It’s on me.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:49 am
Should have taken the over…

Comment by Oneman Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 10:56 am
sorry, I have to be cheeky about this. I cannot read the word bipartisanship without thinking of SNL’s Cecily Strong with her wonderfully smart, wacky news guest character saying “bipartisan ships.” glad they included that in the recent Christmas special.

Comment by Amalia Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:00 am
I think Governor Rauner and his Administration deserve all the bipartisan credit they get on criminal justice reform — especially with what is likely to come in 2017. On this issue, this Administration has been a leader and has the potential next year with the long-awaited release of Part 2 of the Commission’s recommendations to really be a national leader.

Comment by Dan Johnson Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:00 am
All I can say is, Hmmmmmm!

Comment by Anon Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:01 am
Not sure I would call it a …rare display of bipartisanship…. more of an even rarer display of common sense… Should have been done years ago. Good on Raoul, Good on Rauner and everyone that has been fighting this forever.

Comment by Springfield Since '77 Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:03 am
A “free” state id, really! $10-$15/month, free cable tv, 3 meals a day, free shopping spree at the commissary, and now tax payers have to pay for inmates state id card! Where does it stop Rauner?

Comment by Anon Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:04 am
“Rauners provided the angel dust…” Rather interesting choice of words. Might explain a few things around the ol’ capital building.

Comment by A Jack Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:05 am
–A “free” state id, really! $10-$15/month, free cable tv, 3 meals a day, free shopping spree at the commissary, and now tax payers have to pay for inmates state id card! Where does it stop Rauner?–

If you really think it’s a sweet deal, it’s pretty easy to get on that gravy train.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:08 am
To the Post,

It’s important that this bipartisanship happened and it happened so that things can move forward and I’m very impressed that all sides can come together to have this get to signature.

It’s good. It’s good on many fronts, but good on the merits of the signed bill too.

Period.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:12 am
@OW

It is impressive that all sides came together for this. And it makes the budget hostage crisis all the more infuriating. It does the exact opposite of giving me hope. Basically Rauner is saying, “Yes we can work together. But we won’t. Not unless I say we will.” And that leaves me continually stunned and hopeless with regard to the budget.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:16 am
- Ducky LaMoore -

I think there’s a lot of truth in your comment.

It comes down to the end goals and the playing field that an agreement has the opportunity to happen.

Bills like this have a greater opportunity because the “environment” both sides are negotiating in allows them to occur.

Looking how both sides are in an environment that makes an agreement tough, the end game is tough to get too as well.

You’re on it.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:21 am
== free shopping spree at the commissary ==

I’m an ex felon. Did 3 years. There is no free shopping at the commissary. Everything is priced much higher than in stores. Free ID’s for released offenders is a lot of window dressing and little to do with reform. The last thing I worried about when I got out was an ID. Want to reform criminal justice in Illinois? Help inmates find jobs that pay a living wage and fund the social service agencies that do this.

Comment by Ex Con Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:22 am
Jesse White deserves some credit for this also. Maybe he can be the one to broker a deal on the budget. Just dreaming I suppose.

Comment by Casual observer Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:24 am
- ” Free ID’s for released offenders is a lot of window dressing and little to do with reform. The last thing I worried about when I got out was an ID. Want to reform criminal justice in Illinois? Help inmates find jobs that pay a living wage and fund the social service agencies that do this.”

Again, stay on topic don’t deviate from the scripted message or people will see through this charade. /s

Comment by Chicago 20 Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 12:03 pm
So this great moment of backslapping bipartsanship is that people get a state issued ID?

Like it wasn’t already a state responsibility to ensure people can get state issued IDs?

Comment by srboisvert Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 12:09 pm
- Ex Con - Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 11:22 am:

The IDs are a step (or maybe just a breath), but you are more than right that without managers willing to hire to people who have been in prison it is ultimately meaningless.

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 12:34 pm
And the number of people Rauner has hired with a record? I’d bet it is in the same ballpark as the amount of people who he has hired in his life who aren’t white.

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 12:38 pm
–I think Governor Rauner and his Administration deserve all the bipartisan credit they get on criminal justice reform…-

Credit for a Snapchat ID that disappears after 90-days? Are you kidding me?

Rauner is financially starving, cutting the mental health, addiction treatment providers - including the press conference host, A Safe Haven, - who are responsible for, you know, implementing criminal justice reform.

Comment by King Louis XVI Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 12:54 pm
Definitely the over

Comment by Oneman Friday, Dec 16, 16 @ 3:21 pm