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* Good point by Greg Hinz…
The last piece needed for total Democratic control of all the levers of power in Springfield fell into place today when late election returns showed that the party will have a supermajority in the Illinois House—potentially clearing the way to adopt the graduated income tax pushed by Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker.
Final or near final returns showed that House Speaker Mike Madigan picked up seven seats, mostly in the Chicago suburbs, while losing just one, in far southern Illinois. That would give the Dems a net pickup of six, moving them to 73 total House members.
That’s significant because a supermajority of 71 votes is needed to pass and submit to voters a constitutional amendment authorizing the graduated income tax, a top Pritzker priority. Put a different way, though Madigan normally is very reluctant to move on revenue-raising bills without GOP buy-in, there are enough House Democrats to move ahead anyway even if the Republicans balk.
There’s also the possibility the Democrats could add one vote to that total, with two candidates vying for what had been a Republican-held seat in the Lake Barrington area separated by one vote.
* The Sun-Times misses the point…
Now is the time for [Pritzker] — and nobody else — to roll out the specifics of what a progressive income tax for Illinois should look like. Tell us what the rates would be. Tell us what the income brackets, deductions and exemptions should be.
Pritzker said over and over during his campaign that those rates would be negotiated with Democratic and Republican legislators and other stakeholders. I didn’t like it, but he won. And so if he rolled the rates out now, he’d be going back on his pledge and he’d also undercut his proposal.
Just give it a chance to percolate like he said it would.
* Simply put, the election was nationalized and that proved more powerful in suburbia and the Metro East than the “Because… Madigan!” chant…
After nearly four years of being vilified by the governor from one end of the state to the other, Mike Madigan appears to have gotten more powerful.
* This was supposed to help Republicans. It didn’t work too well…
Voters in suburban counties strongly favored blocking the creation of a statewide property tax in Tuesday voting, despite the fact that no statewide property tax has yet been proposed.
An advisory referendum on ballots in DuPage, Kane and Lake counties and Cook County’s Hanover Township asked voters whether the state Legislature should be permitted to institute a property tax of 1 percent of home value. In each of the four jurisdictions, at least 60 percent of the votes cast favored blocking such a tax.
The ballot measure refers to an idea that a trio of economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago floated in May as a way to pay off the state’s $129.1 billion in unfunded pension obligations.
Beyond the paper the economists wrote, there has been no organized effort to institute a statewide property tax, but Kurt Kojzarek, a Kane County board member who supported blocking the idea, said the votes served an important purpose as a proactive warning to legislators.
“Nobody in the Legislature would bring forth a tax proposal like that in election season,” Kojzarek said today. “But in January or February (2019) they might, and this vote sends a pretty good message to the General Assembly that the idea is a nonstarter.”
Commissioner Kojzarek has no idea what he’s talking about. Nobody, but nobody is gonna back a statewide property tax surcharge. If they do, they’ll never get a co-sponsor.
* Mark Brown with the line of the day…
Rauner campaigned for re-election on the notion that re-electing him was Illinois’ “last chance,” the same sky-is-falling narrative pushed by the state’s largest newspaper.
Tuesday was Rauner’s last chance, not ours.
* Related…
* Biz community’s memo to Gov.-elect Pritzker: Stability, please - “The one thing people are tired of: being lied to or not knowing what’s coming at them,” says CME Group CEO Terrence Duffy. “Just tell us what the rules are. Uncertainty kills.”
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 2:28 pm
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OK, sorry if I’m being dense, but “whether the state Legislature should be permitted to institute a property tax of 1 percent of home value” implies the local government can stop the GA from implementing such a tax. They used the word “permitted”. What?
I get it’s an empty gesture, but it borders on disinformation. Unless I’m wrong. I’m fuzzy on Home Rule rules but I know of nothing that would prevent the state from implementing such a tax, if every legislator all of a sudden wanted to blow up their career.
Comment by Perrid Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 2:46 pm
Duffy says CME sold its real estate holdings and now leases space the exchange operator needs. Though the decision was predicated on global strategy, Illinois’ plight “helped my decision to keep my flexibility,” he says. “I won’t commit to where CME is going to be headquartered. . . .I want to be headquartered in Chicago. I want to stay here.” But: “I can’t commit to anything. That’s why (we) don’t own real estate here anymore.”
JB has promised a graduated income tax (with unspecified rates) to pay for a progressive agenda, not to pay back bills and pension debt
Sound like certainty to the business community?
Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 2:49 pm
“Just tell us what the rules are…”
Unless it’s a financial transaction tax.
Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 2:52 pm
=JB has promised a graduated income tax (with unspecified rates) to pay for a progressive agenda, not to pay back bills and pension debtSound like certainty to the business community?=
It sounds like you are picking up exactly where Rauner left off. Lying.
Pritzker has talked about paying the pension debt.
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 3:04 pm
Excellent summary, Rich.
It’s perfectly reasonable to ask, perhaps a week from now, whether Pritzker has spoken with Madigan about a graduated income tax constitutional amendment and about what rates are being considered.
It was a clear campaign promise, and it is a real supermajority.
Comment by Robert the Bruce Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 3:06 pm
–“The one thing people are tired of: being lied to or not knowing what’s coming at them,” says CME Group CEO Terrence Duffy. “Just tell us what the rules are. Uncertainty kills.”–
LOL, the rules are CME gets whatever wants, like a massive one-off tax cut in the middle of The Great Recession.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 3:07 pm
Maybe Baise should call the speaker to discuss the business communities concerns..
Comment by Dodger's Blue Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 3:08 pm
==LOL, the rules are CME gets whatever wants, like a massive one-off tax cut in the middle of The Great Recession. ==
Now, now. Technically, the tax cut applies to all federally-regulated exchanges. The fact that CME gets 99.9% or so of the benefit is purely coincidental.
Comment by Whatever Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 3:52 pm
I wonder how much of the CME State subsidy trickled down to the rest of us. I’m thinking not much, if any. Nothing like getting your ransom and not releasing the hostage.
Comment by Original Rambler Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 4:07 pm
It’s way too early to discuss rates. By the time the amendment is passed, there could be any number of changes to the economy that require the tax rates to be higher or lower. Why give people like the Tribune editorial board ammunition against you when it’s not necessary.
Comment by A Jack Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 4:36 pm
They’ve been talking about this for awhe regarding Progressive Tax Refor.
Comment by BetaBoy Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 5:20 pm
The suburban referendum sounds like the downstate version of the gun sanctuary laws.
Just as dumb and just as illegal.
Comment by Huh? Thursday, Nov 8, 18 @ 5:07 am