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* I didn’t notice it yesterday during the roll call, but House Republican Leader Jim Durkin voted for this bill, as did a handful of other Republicans…
The state of Illinois is one step closer to hiking the minimum salary for teachers to $40,000 a year.
House Bill 2078 passed the House on a 79-31 vote Tuesday. The bill would phase in the salary increase over a period of five years.
“Better wages bring better teachers, and better teachers mean better schools,” state Rep. Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island) said. “High-quality education will attract people and business back to Illinois and pump money into our economy. This pay increase will benefit communities across the state.”
The bill is supported by the Illinois Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union.
Durkin voted “No” last year. I’m told he changed his mind partly because of the state’s teacher shortage.
* This fight will get heated…
On Tuesday, supporters of legislation that would amend gun ownership laws and make fingerprinting mandatory for a FOID card say it’s a mathematical certainty that of the 265,000 concealed carry licensees and more than 2 million FOID card holders in Illinois, Arquero and Martin are not the only ones who lied on their applications. […]
[Valinda Rowe, the spokeswoman for IllinoisCarry] believes the law that requires anyone who wants a gun to spend $10 on a FOID card that is good for 10 years is unconstitutional as it stands. Any amendments or future legislation aimed at further restricting gun owners’ rights would only exacerbate the problem, she said. And shortening the FOID card’s expiration date from 10 years to five, which is also part of the legislative proposal, puts an additional burden on citizens, she said. […]
The bill also would require applicants, who now can fill out necessary forms online, to apply for both a FOID or a CCL in person at an Illinois State Police district office. Rowe also took issue with that provision.
“There are only 22 district offices for Illinois State Police in the entire state. How can 22 district offices handle two-and-a-quarter million FOID applicants in their 22 lobbies?” she asked.
That in-person thing would be a nightmare.
* Other stuff…
* Illinois House lawmakers pass bill to allow minors STI prevention starting at 12 without parents: State Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, said some were concerned about giving HIV prevention drugs without parental notification or consent. “We are saying that this behavior is OK because we’re going to have this on the other end,” she said.
* Mandatory nurse staffing would lead to cuts in other health care areas: To begin with, there are not enough nurses in Illinois to meet the ratios, with a projected shortage of 21,000 nurses by next year and one-third of registered nurses (RNs) in Illinois planning to retire within the next five years. Even if smaller hospitals like FHN Memorial Hospital could find enough qualified RNs to meet the mandates, it would be done at the expense of staffing cuts in other areas. In turn, that could mean that nurses would be doing work that does not maximize their training and capabilities for the best care of their patients. These negative impacts on the RN work environment and their opportunities for advancement would further curtail our ability to attract and hire nurses in an already challenging hiring environment.
* Some creative ways to save money in Illinois public schools: Authors Adam Slade and Nick McFadden estimate that Illinois could save $645 million per year, or $318 per student, if it reduced administrative spending to the national average.
* Rezin’s health care bills good news for Illinoisans: Rezin, the Republican state senator from Morris, sponsored Senate Bill 2026, which would require legislative approval before the state could apply for a federal waiver to the Affordable Care Act that reduced or eliminated protections for people with pre-existing conditions. She noted the move was necessary to provide peace of mind after 2018 federal legislation giving states the right to waive portions of ACA compliance.
* Caseworkers notified about New Elder Law: Under our new Kasem-Baksys Visitation Law, close family members being unreasonably denied visitation with their elder by another family member can go to court, outside of guardianship proceedings. This is important because abusive isolation can start when an elder first becomes physically dependent, long before he or she becomes mentally disabled.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 11:35 am
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Kudos and thanks to Republicans for helping pass this. We can’t be hostile toward teachers, the way Wisconsin has been, and other states. Teaching is one of the most important and necessary jobs. In a land where multimillionaires and multibillionaires are having great economic times, it’s not fair for educators to struggle financially the way many do, having to work multiple jobs and such.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 11:44 am
Good to know that the state is helping out the locals with that extra funding.
Comment by Blue Dog Dem Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 11:47 am
Are the school districts not already responding to the teacher shortfall? This will not affect Naperville, so it may be a free vote for our legislators.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 11:53 am
== State Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, said some were concerned about giving HIV prevention drugs without parental notification or consent. “We are saying that this behavior is OK because we’re going to have this on the other end ==
To quote a lyric from La Tour
People are still having sex.
Lust keeps on lurking.
Nothing makes them stop.
This aids things not working.
Does she really think that young people are being holding off because they can’t get those drugs?
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 11:59 am
–Durkin voted “No” last year. I’m told he changed his mind partly because of the state’s teacher shortage.–
He may want some IEA help for the next Proft primary challenger that Sugar Daddy Dick bankrolls.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 11:59 am
In person fingerprinting at State Police districts would be impossible to do. The math tells you its impossible. The route would be either to allow notary public to do this or use DNA submital. Adding cost, the debate is the whether the cost is worth it or not.
Comment by truthteller Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 12:02 pm
Pleased to see Rezin’s bill on the ACA waiver. I don’t think it’ll be an issue in the near term, but could be good down the line.
Comment by Fixer Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 12:10 pm
===shortening the FOID card’s expiration date from 10 years to five, which is also part of the legislative proposal, puts an additional burden on citizens===
So does getting shot by an unfingerprinted someone who shouldn’t have had a FOID, or a gun, in the first place.
Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 12:20 pm
It is in fact a “free vote” for those not in rural and Downstate areas as the minimum teacher salary is already more than $40,000.
Market conditions and shortages will ultimately e the arbiter of beginning salaries. Once again, however, cost of living dynamics completely ignored as if thy do not exist.
Comment by You Bet Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 12:40 pm
Does the $40,000 threshold include pension pick-ups? Because many school districts that fall below this amount also pick-up the employees’ pension contributions.
Has anyone found the school district that was paying the current $10,000 minimum yet? Didn’t think so.
Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 12:59 pm
There is also a nursing shortage. Is the State going to mandate nursing salary levels?
Comment by Just Me 2 Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 1:08 pm
=== Is the State going to mandate nursing salary levels? ===
No, just staffing levels. lol
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 1:14 pm
What records are accessed for FOID card background checks? As we’ve found out from Bruce Rushton exploring SOS’ hiring of Candace Wanzo, employment background checks are Illinois record name checks only. No out of state, no federal records checked. Is this true of FOID?
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 1:20 pm
There are 21 State Police Districts not 22.
Districts 3 and 4 were combined years ago to make D-Chgo.
Comment by Rigby Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 2:20 pm
==Is this true of FOID===
NO. Illinois State Police (ISP) conducts criminal history background checks on all Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) applicants. The FOID background check process consists of a name and date of birth check; queries are then conducted through Illinois and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) national databases.
The Illinois databases utilized for a FOID background are: Law Enforcement Agency Data System (LEADS) Computerized Hot Files, Illinois Criminal History Record Information (CHRI), Secretary of State, and the Illinois Department of Human Services.
The FBI-CJIS national databases utilized for a FOID background are: National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Interstate Identification Index (III), National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration Alien Inquiry (IAQ) for applicants who are not United States citizens.
Comment by Contrarian Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 2:50 pm
=There is also a nursing shortage. Is the state going to mandate nursing salary levels?
Are nurses public employees? Do they pay into a state managed pension program? Do taxpayers pay their salaries? Do those taxpayers get to weigh in on every single penny paid out to them as they do teachers? Are their salaries posted publicly for everyone to scrutinize? Not even apples and oranges. Apples and oranges are much to alike in this situation.
Comment by AnonymousOne Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 4:18 pm
Contrarian -
How did the Aurora shooter get by the FOID process? (His fingerprints on concealed carry was the first clue Illinois had about his criminal record.)
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 5:00 pm
AnyoneBW, I could be wrong and would have to go recheck, but iirc, some information from Mississipi did not get sent to the Federal databases
Comment by Contrarian Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 8:20 pm
Anyone, from a trib article…Records show the Mississippi conviction was never entered into the national databases, which were designed to make sure criminal histories are accessible to law enforcement agencies across the country.
In Martin’s case, federal databases failed to show his felony conviction until nearly a week after the shooting, state police said….
Comment by Contrarian Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 8:26 pm