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It’s just a bill

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Illinois

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal to legalize sports betting in Illinois has sparked an all-out lobbying war over who will be the big winner—not only between proponents and opponents of the bill, but within the gambling industry itself.

Allies of casino operator Neil Bluhm and others that already have a brick-and-mortar presence in the state are battling with internet operators DraftKings and FanDuel, which are in the market with a form of betting on fantasy sports despite a 2015 advisory opinion from then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan that the practice was illegal under current Illinois law.

Bluhm is pushing an amendment to disqualify DraftKings and FanDuel from being licensed under the sports betting bill. “They are free to team up with other entities that did not violate the law,” like Bluhm’s Rivers Casino, says Bluhm attorney Paul Gaynor, a former top official with Madigan’s office.

The internet gamers respond that Bluhm is just trying to parley the clout he’s built with millions of dollars in campaign contributions into anti-competitive legislation. In fact, New Jersey raised far more for their treasuries via gambling taxes than California, which excluded them, they contend.

A House subcommittee is scheduled to hold an initial hearing tomorrow on whether to adopt Bluhm’s “penalty box” amendment.

Money gonna money, I suppose. But this is the same basic issue as the cannabis expungement proposal.

* Legislators are starting to lay down markers for the final end of session votes…

Poor Illinoisans with legal troubles would get $10 million to help them navigate court systems across the state under a bill pending in the state legislature.

Rep. Art Turner on Monday urged his fellow state lawmakers to pass his Access to Justice Act before the legislative session ends next month.

“We should not leave [Springield] without making sure this is funded in this budget,” Turner said at a press conference at the Westside Justice Center, a community organization that runs a Chicago-based version of what could be a statewide model for legal services. […]

Executive Director Tanya D. Woods said the $10 million would build organizations across the state similar to the Westside Justice Center. That Lawndale-based legal clinic helps poor residents battle in courtrooms over matters ranging from getting a car out of an impound yard to fighting city building code tickets that might end up forcing a low-income family out of their home.

* Bob Reed…

In an email statement, Pritzker’s office said: “He believes creating an independent commission to draw legislative maps is the best way to accomplish redistricting reform, but it’s important that any plan to do so reflect the gender, racial, and geographic diversity of the state.”

That last part about diversity is essential to advancing the 2020 referendum vote — and it’s where previous remap efforts floundered because of opposition from influential African Americans, including former ComEd lobbyist John T. Hooker, Chicago businessman Elzie Higginbottom, former ComEd CEO Frank Clark, and the Reverend Leon Finney Jr., CEO of the Woodlawn Organization, a community activist group. They feared an independent commission would reduce the number of districts dominated by black residents, particularly within Chicago’s South and West Sides, thereby diluting those communities’ political power in Springfield.

Backers of the newest referendum assert the proposed law will comply with voters’ rights and antidiscrimination laws. But such assurances may not be enough to assuage critics. Hooker, for one, harbors doubts: “If it comes back the same way as the last two times, I would not be in agreement with where they’re going.”

Echoing that sentiment is Maze Jackson, host on WVON-AM 1690 and a political consultant, who argues that black districts might be better off with the politically astute Madigan at the mapping helm. “While I have not been the biggest Madigan fan in the past, we have a common interest here,” says Jackson. Madigan didn’t support early drafts of the 2010 map, which Jackson says would have watered down black representation.

Maze hearts Madigan?

* Other stuff…

* Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro the Keep Internet Devices Safe (KIDS) Act

* Illinois’ estate tax is the American way — let’s keep it

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 2:20 pm

Comments

I wouldn’t bet against Bluhm. He’s made lots of friends on both sides of the aisle, the other guys just have annoying TV spots.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 2:39 pm
We’re creating a new social program costing $10 million for legal aid? I thought the State is so broke that it can’t afford to make the pension payment this year?

Comment by Matt Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 2:39 pm
With the black population dwindling, I’m not sure they can continue to hold the same number of reps. True or false? I’m not sure.

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 3:09 pm
@Matt - It’s just a bill

Comment by Chicagonk Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 3:09 pm
Maze has already mentioned on the air that Chuy Garcia is, paraphrasing here, “trying to take districts away from us.” But the population loss numbers may force reductions in the number of African-American majority districts.

Comment by Former Downstater Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 3:10 pm
Population loss and migration are different things; if blacks have been moving to the suburbs, that’s different from moving out of state.

The 2020 census is key.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 3:23 pm
Sounds like GovJunk has really cut off everyone’s allowance. Oh my. Did he yank the $1 million from that credit union he bought/rented in ‘14?

Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 3:59 pm
==They feared an independent commission would reduce the number of districts dominated by black residents===

While I recognize the importance of maintaining minority representation, please keep in mind that Republican drawn maps can replace or have replaced Dems with Rs downstate. This is different than Chicago, where you are arguing about what kind of Dem is getting the seat. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Comment by Jibba Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 9:36 pm
The best way to help low-income families is more jobs. The General Assembly should spend its time working on that problem.

Comment by Just Me 2 Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 11:20 pm