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* Sun-Times…
Money to support McCormick Place expansion would be raised by expanding a 1% tax on restaurant meals and drinks under legislation advancing Wednesday in the Illinois Senate.
The proposal, which has strong backing from trade unions, would enlarge the part of Chicago’s central business district in which the tax is collected. The Senate Executive Committee approved the measure 12-1, with one member voting present, during a hearing Wednesday. The bill could go to the full Senate later Wednesday.
The revenue would allow the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which runs McCormick Place, to borrow an additional $600 million, increasing its bonding limit to $3.45 billion. The agency plans to build a new convention hall over King Drive and tear down the above-ground portion of the Lakeside Center, widely viewed as outmoded convention space.
An earlier proposal to fund the expansion with a $1-a-ride tax on Uber and Lyft has been dropped amid opposition from those companies.
* The enviros were able to pass this bill partly by attracting the support of a union…
[Yesterday] the Illinois Legislature passed SB9, The Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act, which now heads to the Governor’s desk. The groundbreaking bill addresses the many waste pits filled with coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal, located all over the state. Illinois is now the third state in the country to pass legislation providing significant coal ash protections above and beyond federal requirements.
The legislation creates a regulatory framework to ensure polluters, not taxpayers, pay for needed closure and cleanup, guarantees public participation and transparency around cleanups for affected communities, and provides Illinois EPA the funds it needs to properly oversee closure and cleanup. It also requires Illinois to put in place standards for coal ash impoundments that are at least as protective as federal coal ash rule requirements, with additional protections against dust and water pollution. […]
Illinois has the highest concentration of coal ash impoundments in the country. The Illinois EPA has found groundwater contamination from coal ash waste sites dating back to 2009. A 2018 report from environmental groups Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice, Prairie Rivers Network and Sierra Club analyzing data collected by ash dump owners under the federal coal ash rule found that 22 of 24 of Illinois’ reporting coal ash dumpsites have unsafe levels of toxic pollutants in the groundwater. Illinois joins Virginia and North Carolina in addressing coal ash through state level legislation.
* Jim Dey…
One of Champaign County’s most partisan elected officials has joined forces with Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan in a bid to elect more Democrats to judicial offices here.
On Monday, state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, proposed an amendment to a legislative shell bill — HB97 — to remove Champaign County from its current six-county judicial circuit and make it a circuit of its own.
The legislation was passed on an 8-5 party-line vote Tuesday by the House Executive Committee and sent to the House floor for further action. […]
Ammons declined to discuss the legislation but issued a brief statement.
“Judicial reform is needed in Champaign County to bring balance and access to the bench; ensuring diverse candidates by gender, race and party affiliation. Champaign County judges should be elected by the people of Champaign County,” she said.
That is not — and likely won’t ever be — the case. The county judiciary is staffed by six circuit judges — three of whom are resident judges and run only in Champaign County. In addition to the circuit judges, the county has five associate judges who are appointed by the circuit judges for a specific term in office.
Ammons told me yesterday there is only one woman circuit judge, no minorities and no Democrats.
* Greg Bishop…
Illinois House Republicans sporting buttons with fingerprints crossed out as they prepare to debate bill to mandate fingerprints for gun owners.
The button…
The House floor debate has begun. Check the live coverage post for updates.
* Other stuff…
* Illinois Lawmakers Tackle Teacher Shortage By Taking Aim At Licensing Test: In Illinois now, student teachers have to videotape themselves in the classroom as part of a mandatory test to become certified. But some educators say the edTPA test is too onerous, not an effective indicator of a quality teacher and discourages some would-be teachers.
* Illinois bill to stop some driver’s license suspensions put on hold [UPDATE: The bill passed committee and is now on short debate in the House.]
* Bill would ban e-cigs in public indoor places: The proposal was approved by the Senate Public Health Committee, but only after Sen. Patricia Van Pelt, D-Chicago, changed her vote to get the issue to the Senate floor. She did not pledge to support it during a floor vote, though.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 12:31 pm
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Rich,
FYI — Carol Ammons misinformed you.
There are three females, including one black woman, among the associate and circuit judges in Champaign County.
One Democrat judge, Arnold Blockman, recently retired after about 20 years on the bench.
Comment by jim Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 12:46 pm
Use the ash to make drywall
https://cleantechnica.com/2009/01/16/new-cleanboard-drywall-is-made-from-coal-power-plant-residue/
Comment by Open mind Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 12:47 pm
===Carol Ammons misinformed you.
There are three females, including one black woman, among the associate and circuit judges ===
She was referring to circuit judges, not associates. So, she didn’t misinform me.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 12:47 pm
Too bad the Lakeside Center can’t conveniently burn down a la 1967.
Seriously, though, I like the idea of an Uber/Lyft surcharge a lot better than an expanded tax that hits small businesses to pay for this, and I don’t have a single tear to shed for their corporate objections.
Comment by Dr Kilovolt Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 12:56 pm
The average person does not understand the distinction between circuit judges and associate judges - that statement would be understood by most people as “there are none”. Also don’t forget Hon. Lisa Holder White, who was a circuit judge in the Sixth Circuit before joining the appellate court.
Comment by Put the fun in unfunded Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 12:59 pm
Where would the 1% add on be tacked on. Chicago? Metro? Statewide?
Comment by Blue Dog Dem Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 1:00 pm
The colors really at issue here (as they were when suburban counties were split) are “red” and “blue”.
Comment by Put the fun in unfunded Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 1:01 pm
Helmet Jahn’s not having much luck keeping his buildings from being declared obsolete.
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 1:01 pm
Rich, which Union(s)supported SB#9?
Comment by nadia Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 1:26 pm
===
Where would the 1% add on be tacked on
===
Within the central business district of Chicago, which has legally defined boundaries. The plan appears to be to expand those borders to match the growth that has taken place beyond the current boundaries.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 2:02 pm
Rep. Reitz also rocking one of the buttons
Comment by Buford Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 2:22 pm
==nadia==
Use this link to view witness slips on SB 9. http://ilga.gov/legislation/Witnessslip.asp?LegDocId=154364&DocNum=0009&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=113581&GAID=15&SessionID=108&GA=101&WSType=PROP
Comment by Yup Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 2:39 pm
Re: Tackling the teacher shortage:
In what other profession would standards/qualifications be lowered in order to get more employees? Law, Medicine, Accounting?
On the other hand, those professions don’t have trouble attracting people because they actually pay them decently. No need to lower standards if the income is attractive.
Comment by AnonymousOne Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 3:13 pm
Yup, I found several Unions with “no position” slips and several in opposition, but couldn’t find any as proponents.
No biggie, just wasn’t aware that Unions supported SB #9.
Comment by nadia Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 3:29 pm
–Where would the 1% add on be tacked on. Chicago? Metro? Statewide?–
Read the second sentence in the post.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 3:33 pm
Listening to the debate on HB97 and they just ruled that a Judicial note was inapplicable on a bill that absolutely effects the judiciary in Champaign County. So much for process.
Comment by Occasional Quipper Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 4:28 pm
One of the circuit judges in Champaign is a Democrat who ran as a Republican.
Comment by filmmaker prof Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 7:22 pm
If they wanna tear down the Lakeside Expo center, might as well site the Chicago casino on that spot; it’s the perfect place to vacuum up tourist dollars from visiting convention-goers at McCormick, and it will be close to that proposed new transportation nexus development as well. That’s good synergy. And who’s to say they couldn’t just remodel Lakeside *into* a casino?
Comment by Bring back Meigs Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 9:37 pm
“Healey said broadening the taxing district would allow the authority to collect $10 million a year on top of the tax’s current revenue of about $51 million a year.”
The current MPEA debt repayment for 2019 is $196,695,00.
The total MPEA tax revenue for 2018 was $151,526,000.
That’s a shortfall of $42,478,000.
Adding the $10,000,000 from Healey’s lofty projections that’s now a shortage of $32,478,000 for 2019.
The MPEA debt repayment schedule stair steps up to $347,244,350 in the coming years.
That’s without any demolition/expansion costs.
Healey is going to be short $185,718,350 without building anything.
Comment by Chicago 20 Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 9:43 pm
–And who’s to say they couldn’t just remodel Lakeside *into* a casino?–
It’s a white elephant with about 20 years of “deferred maintenance” issues. McPier has wanted to tear it down forever.
As with the Thompson Center, a bright, shiny, new thing on the site makes more sense than any retrofit.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, May 29, 19 @ 9:43 pm