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* For anyone looking to pay their respects to the late Sean O’Shea, his visitation will be held Monday, January 9.
* Here’s your briefing…
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker ‘comfortable and confident’ cashless bail is constitutional despite court ruling to contrary: Pritzker on Wednesday said he anticipates a decision “sometime in the next few months.” While the governor said he and the lawmakers who voted for the law believe it is constitutional, they will “come back at it” if the high court rules otherwise.
* Tribune | Gen Z in the House: Two young lawmakers joining Illinois General Assembly: Syed, a Democrat from Chicago’s suburbs, and Fritts, a Republican from Dixon, don’t share the same positions on many issues. She’s for abortion access; he opposes it. He stands against gun rights restrictions; she supports a ban on high-capacity guns and new regulations.
* Sun-Times | Vice president touts bridge funding in Chicago: ‘We will finally fix this problem’: Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Chicago is part of the Biden administration’s united effort to highlight how the bipartisan infrastructure law is driving the economy.
* SJ-R | Homeless plan addresses ‘an entire system of care from beginning to end’: Ward 6 Ald. Kristin DiCenso said homelessness has been a talking point “for as long as I’ve been on the council. This is a citywide problem. But if we want to get to functional zero, it’s going to take all hands on-deck.”
* Illinois Times | Mike Coffey to fill Butler’s House seat: “Saputo’s is a special place. It’s the only place where you could have the speaker of the House, the president of the Senate, the minority leader, the majority leader and every statewide official, all in the same building at the same time,” he said. “So, we’ve been very fortunate to have all different kinds of politicians and every walk of life come in. That’s always been our forte, to welcome anybody that wants to come into the restaurant.”
* WCIA | Legislators, union push for house visit reform on anniversary of fatal DCFS caseworker stabbing: In the past year, the Illinois General Assembly has pushed for more protections for DCFS workers. They passed a law allowing caseworkers to carry pepper spray while on duty and offered continuing insurance coverage for the families of seven case workers who died while on the job. But many Illinois lawmakers don’t think those steps are enough.
* Crain’s | A wind farm in Lake Michigan? A bill in Springfield proposes it.: Under the measure sponsored by Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, the state would authorize construction of a pilot wind farm several miles from shore that would be capable of producing 150 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 75,000 homes. The House sponsor of the bill is Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago.
* WREX | Illinois Supreme Court won’t have final ruling on Pretrial Fairness Act until March at the earliest: Here are the dates that were laid out in the filing: Record on appeal: Friday, January 20, 2023. Defendants-appellants’ opening brief: Thursday, January 26, 2023. Plaintiffs-appellees’ response brief: Friday, February 17, 2023. Defendants-appellants’ reply brief: Monday, February 27, 2023. Oral argument: In the March 2023 calendar.
* Illinois Times | Two Black candidates for city council cite racial bias in removal from ballot: “It’s more of a long shot,” Ward 5 candidate Calvin Pitts told Illinois Times. “But just because they wanted me out doesn’t mean I have to quit. I really want to be a part of the growth and development of the city.”
* Shaw Local | Voters lose say in General Assembly appointments: Not all legislative vacancies are created equally. Wednesday’s column examined the process of replacing state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, who won reelection but then announced a retirement, opening his 53rd District seat for two years. There’s a chance his replacement is a sitting House member, potentially triggering another appointment process.
* Triibe | The Chicago lien system is freezing my mother out of her home: Liens are like getting parking tickets from the city and not being able to renew your registration. The difference is, instead of not being able to renew her registration, she cannot get a loan to fix her house — specifically, the heat. There are some old fines for things like uncut weeds on a vacant lot she owns and other repairs on her current house that have long since been fixed.
* Crain’s | How will Illinois spend its opioid settlement windfall?: Illinois is set to collect about $760 million from some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors over their role in the devastating opioid crisis, an influx of cash that will likely spark debates over how and where to spend it in years to come.
* Tribune | Mayor Lori Lightfoot wanted Chicago Bears to change her season ticket seats over security concerns: Lightfoot’s security detail worried that she would be hard to protect in the seats on the lakefront stadium’s 400 level, so they approached the Bears about moving her to a different location.
posted by Isabel Miller
Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 8:50 am
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Horrible news about Sean! He shared the ins and outs of the Statehouse and D.C. with clients in ways few others did. How cruel that his life has been cut so short. Extending sympathies to his family and inner-circle during what must be a very difficult time.
Comment by Barton Lorimor Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 9:05 am
== While the governor said he and the lawmakers who voted for the law believe it is constitutional, they will “come back at it” if the high court rules otherwise. ==
If I properly understand the technical point the judge ruled on, and if the ISC sees it the same way, that ‘back at it’ may have to include amending the 1970 Constitution; not an easy task. Going to be interesting to see how this plays out.
Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 9:28 am
The Fritts family have been prominent local political figures in Dixon and Lee County forever.
Comment by Gravitas Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 9:30 am
how should illinois spend its opioid settlement money. pay down debt. this would most certainly help jb’s presidential aspirations.
Comment by Blue Dog Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 10:54 am
==how should illinois spend its opioid settlement money. pay down debt. ==
Or fix and getting staffing up to par at Corrections, DCFS, DHS, and other troubled agencies.
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 11:07 am
Crazy idea here. How about spending the opioid settlement money on opioid treatment.
Comment by Stormsw7706 Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 12:00 pm
If MLL needs a secure location to watch the Bears, stay home and watch the game on the couch. MLL’s home is surrounded by security 24-7 so there’s no need for a seat change at the stadium.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 3:27 pm