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* Let’s start with the Tribune’s session coverage. The whole article is good, but here’s a sample…
The various internal Democratic caucuses are still meeting and discussing their budget priorities “to see if there’s any overlap,” [Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, D-Chicago] said.
“Nobody’s ready yet,” he said. “I think there’s still a lot to be worked out.” […]
The size and relative inexperience of the Democratic caucus, Welch’s short tenure and a new team of budget negotiators have contributed to missing the deadline Democrats set for themselves, said Democratic Rep. Fred Crespo of Hoffman Estates, a member of both the moderate and Latino caucuses in the House.
”We have 78 members that represent so many different interests,” Crespo said. “You have experienced members that understand how the system works. We understand that we might want something or need something and it takes a while to get that. We have new members that are experiencing this for the first time. So there’s some growing pains.”
”We have to manage all the members to understand that there’s a finite number of dollars, and there’s only so many things that we can do,” Crespo added.
Crespo said the cost overruns in the expanded immigrant health care program are an example of what can happen when new ideas aren’t fully evaluated through the regular committee hearing process before being approved.
* On to the Pantagraph. Subscribers have been briefed on these two points…
Only a few details have been shared with rank-and-file lawmakers, lobbyists and the public about the proposed spending plan.
Hospitals are expected to receive a 10% increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates, their first in several years though lower than their initial 20% ask. […]
Pritzker told reporters earlier this month that it was up to the legislature to find a solution [for the noncitizen health care cost issue], though he suggested that instituting co-pays and less generous reimbursement rates could help control costs. Other suggestions include limiting future enrollment in the program.
Lawmakers, however, have appeared unwilling to include a legislative fix in the budget, instead hoping that DHFS can control costs administratively.
* Tina Sfondeles also has a must-read…
The Illinois General Assembly had planned to adjourn on Friday, but Democratic leaders blew that self-imposed deadline, failing to reach agreement on the state budget. Health care costs for undocumented immigrants was the key sticking point. […]
With parents, teachers and community advocates complaining in separate hearings this week in the House and Senate, the [Chicago elected school board map] is expected to change once again, according to a source close to the negotiations. The goal is to vote on a final version next week. […]
But the changes aren’t enough for some advocates, including Eli Brottman, a consultant who has testified at each hearing. Brottman on Friday argued at a House hearing that there still aren’t enough Latino majority districts, communities of color are in some cases split apart in certain districts, and there are no Asian plurality districts. […]
The Chicago Teachers Union is among a coalition of groups, including Pilsen Alliance, Raise Your Hand, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization and the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, among others, who have created their own proposed map. They are urging lawmakers to revise the current map to look more like their proposal, which they say better reflects the actual population CPS serves.
Most Democrats haven’t seen anything resembling a draft budget either, as the group of top lawmakers negotiating the state’s spending plan is intentionally small.
The most recent revenue estimate from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget anticipates about $50.4 billion in revenues for the upcoming budget year, even after April revenues plummeted more than $1.8 billion from one year ago.
One point of contention among Democrats in negotiations is an anticipated $1.1 billion in spending on health care for non-citizens aged 42 and older who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid if not for their citizenship status.
The governor’s office had budgeted $220 million for that program, creating an $880 million budget pressure. Members of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and Progressive Caucus have called for expanding the program to noncitizens between the ages of 19 and 42, at an estimated cost of $380 million next year.
While advocates for the noncitizen health care expansion have called those estimates overblown, the program has far exceeded estimates through its implementation and two expansions.
* SJ-R…
Amid budget negotiations, lawmakers have passed hundreds of bills this week - several of which have local implications. The ones producing perhaps the most tense debates pertain to all-gender bathrooms and one opening the doors for the firearm industry to be held liable for consumer fraud. The governor has indicated his support for the latter, planning to sign the bill into law when it arrives on his desk.
Led by Senate President Don Harmon, a bill permitting punitive damages in a wrongful death lawsuit passed the Senate on Thursday. If House Bill 219 goes into law, the family of Earl L. Moore, Jr., who allege he was murdered by two Springfield EMS workers, could seek those damages in addition to compensatory damages.
* More on the wrongful death lawsuit bill from Hannah Meisel…
Illinois is one of 16 states that does not allow for the recovery of punitive damages in wrongful death cases, although the state does allow for plaintiffs in personal injury cases to seek punitive damages.
“It’s only when the plaintiff has died from his or her injuries that punitive damages are precluded,” Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said Thursday during a brief debate on House Bill 219. “The awarding of punitive damages should not turn on whether the injuries were severe enough to kill the plaintiff.”
HB 219 would take the standards for seeking punitive damages in personal injury cases and apply them to Illinois’ Wrongful Death Act. The bill is an initiative of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, which has historically been an ally to Democrats.
The state’s business community mounted a swift but ultimately ineffective opposition campaign against the bill after it popped up earlier this week, citing increased liability costs.
* Also SJ-R on the venue shopping bill…
Senate President Don Harmon introduced an amendment to House Bill 3062 earlier this week, which sets courtrooms in Sangamon and Cook counties as the only locations where actions alleging constitutional violation brought-on by legislation or executive orders can be heard. […]
“These cases are all going to end up in Springfield or Chicago,” [Harmon] said during floor debate Friday evening, referring to the Illinois Supreme Court’s presence in both cities. “It’s our judgment that it is best to simply, streamline that process and make sure these cases are all heard in an organized fashion.” […]
“The reality is we’re trying to legislate venue shopping because certain constitutional officers in the state, frankly, are having a lot of their decisions challenged by the people that they’re supposed to serve,” [Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville] said, later calling the legislation an “affront to democracy.”
Republican Caucus Whip Sen. Sally Turner of Beason asked if whether the bill would place more pressure on the Fourth District Appellate Court in Springfield in terms of an increased workload. Harmon noted that a number of these constitutional challenges are already consolidated in Sangamon County, so an increase in justices or staff would not be likely.
posted by Rich Miller
Saturday, May 20, 23 @ 2:39 pm
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