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* HB2531 is on Second Reading in the Senate…
A senior advisor for @RepRobinKelly helped make the final closing pitch to lawmakers for a third Chicago airport. He said the bill will finally answer the question everyone wants answered: are developers interested #twill https://t.co/cvfBY1P652
— Ben Szalinski (@BenSzalinski) May 2, 2023
State Rep. Mark Walker, D-Arlington Heights, said House Bill 3479 creates the Uniform Money Transmission Modernization Act, which requires exchanges and crypto businesses to obtain a license from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
“We can add stability to our entire banking system and put them in a situation where they don’t have to be bailed out,” said Walker.
If businesses are approved for a digital asset license in Illinois, the bill allows the state to access their books and pass along relevant information to enforcement agencies.
Walker said the legislation also includes safeguards to help prevent fraudsters from taking advantage of Illinoisans. […]
The measure passed the House by a 90-21 vote.
* Rep. Kam Buckner…
As Chicago and Illinois get ready to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, our state should be paving the way towards a more democratic system of voting, starting with the presidential primary.
Bringing ranked choice voting (RCV) to Illinois is something we can all get behind, regardless of political ideology. Legislation (HB2807 and SB 1456) is now making its way through Springfield that would put Illinois on the growing list of states that are considering adopting RCV.
Such a system would benefit both voters and candidates, creating a political landscape that is more hospitable to a larger and more diverse pool of qualified candidates to run for office.
One of the biggest problems with our current presidential primary system is that votes go to waste. State primaries take place over months, and during that time, people are voting early or absentee for candidates who may end up dropping out before primary election day, or are otherwise not viable because they don’t receive enough votes. This impacts both Democrats and Republicans. During their last competitive presidential primary in Illinois, over 70,000 Democrats and 30,000 Republicans had their votes thrown out because the candidate they voted for dropped out before their primary.
* SB684 is on Second Reading in the House. Here’s 25News Now…
A proposed bill would create a new tax for people in rural McLean County, helping fund the Central Illinois Regional Airport. […]
Legislation co-sponsored by State Sen. David Koehler (D - Peoria) says “This issue is about fairness. Right now, the only tax support for the Central Illinois Regional Airport is from residents of Bloomington and Normal. The goal is to spread the support to the entire county of McLean, as we did for the airport in Peoria and Peoria County in 2007.”
Last year, about 180,000 passengers flew through CIRA in Bloomington. However, the only taxes supporting it, were the people who live in Bloomington and Normal. […]
The bill would reduce the tax rate for people in Bloomington-Normal by about 33%. It would bring their current 14 cents per $100 of assessed value to 9.5 cents per $100 of assessed value.
For people outside the Twin Cities, it would be about $55 more a year for the owner of a house valued at $175,000.
* SB85 has not left the Senate. From Resource Recycling…
The aluminum recycling industry continues to push for new beverage container deposit programs, with an executive pointing to potential in the Upper Midwest and in the nation’s capital. […]
Henry Gordinier, president and CEO of Louisville, Ky.-based Tri-Arrows, which recycles used beverage cans (UBCs) into sheets for making cans, said that since the Aluminum Association and Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) launched their campaign to lobby for bottle bills, the industry “has been firing on all cylinders to advocate for these policies.”
Gordinier pointed to progress in the legislatures in Illinois and Minnesota, while also mentioning that Maryland lawmakers held a hearing recently on recycling refunds. He also noted that U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, is working to introduce legislation for a national bottle deposit program.
“There is strong bipartisan support for recycling refund programs,” he said, adding that states with bottle bills have aluminum can recycling rates nearly double those in states without them.
There is legislation moving through the Illinois Capitol [Added by Rich: Despite what the Center Square people claim, this particular bill is not “moving” - it has been stuck in House Rules since early March, for crying out loud] that would require auto insurance companies to undergo the same rate hike oversight that utility companies are subjected to. […]
The measure would empower the Illinois Department of Insurance to reject or modify excessive rate hikes and end the use of non-driving factors, such as credit scores, to set rates. A coalition of 15 consumer, community and civil rights organizations is backing the legislation.
“Yet again, insurance companies raise rates on families who are struggling to get by, all while lavishing its CEO with exorbitant compensation,” said Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, the bill’s sponsor. “We need accountability for these rate hikes, and we need strong rules to protect consumers from predatory, discriminatory, and unnecessary rate increases.” […]
Kevin Martin, executive director of the Illinois Insurance Association, said if passed, the legislation will do the exact opposite of what it is designed to do.
“I think if this bill is passed and signed into law, Illinois will go from probably the premiere state for insurance companies to want to do business to by far the worst,” said Martin.
* WAND…
Agriculture advocates gathered at the Capitol for Black Farmers Lobby Week.
State Legislators say they’ve seen a decrease in black farmers and black-owned farms across the state. […]
Advocates presented several bills to provide additional support to farmers of color:
House Bill 2557, the Farmer Equity and Innovation Act, creates a program with the University of Illinois Extension to keep small and midsize farms competitive.
House Bill 3556 creates the farmer restoration and conservancy program which helps historically underserved farmers get assistance with land access.
House Bill 3557 increases the proportion of food used by state agencies that is sources from socially disadvantaged farmers.
House Bill 2523 appropriates 5 million dollars from the general revenue fund to the Department of Agriculture to create grants for socially disadvantaged farmers.
posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 11:38 am
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== and end the use of non-driving factors, such as credit scores, to set rates==
This practice should absolutely be abolished.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 11:40 am
re: treating insurance like a utility: Not every problem requires government intervention. Utilities are monopolies; insurance companies have competition.
If I think my gas bill is too high I don’t have many options; If I think my car insurance is too high I can choose someone else. We really don’t need the state (which has enough problems it can’t fix) to now insert itself into another aspect of all our lives.
Comment by Just Me 2 Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 11:49 am
===There is legislation moving through the Illinois Capitol that would require auto insurance companies to undergo the same rate hike oversight that utility companies are subjected to. ===
Fear of rate regulation is why Allstate & State Farm “suggested” to then-Secretary of State Jim Edgar he propose a “mandatory auto insurance” scheme that wasn’t. Remember him on WGN News, when asked about why he wasn’t proposing plans that worked in other states, he said “Allstate & State Farm don’t want that!”
Recovering, he said “2 million out of 7 million drivers are uninsured. If we get that down to 1 million, this’ll be a success.”
You can’t make this stuff up.
Comment by Anyone Remember Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 11:54 am
Regarding the South Suburban Airport, is there a reason why State officials years ago opted to construct a new airport outside of Peotone instead of expanding/improving the nearby Kankakee airport?
Comment by McBroom Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 12:07 pm
Advancing the South Suburban Airport plan through, presumably, the Sunk Cost Fallacy Act of 2023.
This back-and-forth has been going on nearly my entire life. The residents don’t want it. The passenger airlines don’t want it. Gary Airport exists. The communities are, at best, ambivalent. Just take the L on what you paid to tear down those houses in Peotone and buy out Bult Field a decade ago, learn from your mistakes, and move on.
Comment by Roadrager Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 12:07 pm
–the nearby Kankakee airport–
Nearby? The Kankakee airport is on the south side of Kankakee. It is almost TWICE as far from Chicago as the proposed Peotone airport. It’s not even in the same county, and it’s almost 2 counties away.
Kankakee is also much further away from the infrastructure of one of the largest inland rail ports in the country. There is no easy way to get from Kankakee airport to that inland port. If the planned use is cargo, Kankakee is not a realistic option to be considered.
The opposition to Peotone is mostly still using the same arguments from 20 years ago, while ignoring the massive buildup of industrial/warehouse infrastructure which has taken place around Peotone during that same timeframe. The airlines will never publicly commit to anything until they have finished the negotiations for their carriage/landing fees. Until that agreement exists, the best the airlines will be is non-commital - publicly. The future growth of the region all but assures it will not be a wasted project. In 50 years, it will be needed without question. Waiting until then, will be too late. It’s unfortunate we don’t have many officials with that type of operation timeframe.
The Peotone proposal is by far the best proposal, no matter how many times the Will County board chair wishes for and celebrates injury on those who support it.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 12:26 pm
= The communities are, at best, ambivalent.=
Pretty much every local mayor in the Southland is supportive.
There is a demonstrated need for a cargo airport. It’s going to happen in Illinois or out of state. Why shouldn’t Illinois get the benefits.
Comment by Because I Said So…. Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 12:38 pm
Buckner was my first choice for Chicago mayor, and again I find myself agreeing with him on something, no surprise there.
Comment by Homebody Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 12:49 pm
I would have a hard time wanting Buckner for mayor after his attempt to change the starting kindergarten age requirements and taking the decision of of parents hands.
Comment by Seats Tuesday, May 2, 23 @ 2:40 pm