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* ICYMI: It’s the last day of veto session. Here’s a breakdown on what’s happened so far from Capitol News Illinois…
- Yesterday, the Senate passed a measure that would require the state to purchase exclusively “zero-emission vehicles,” such as electric vehicles, after Jan. 1, 2030.
- A measure that would allow legislative staff to unionize, appears to have stalled in the Senate after clearing the House with broad Democratic support during the first week of veto session.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Tribune | Democrats still divided over transition to Chicago elected school board; chances dim for private school tax credit extension: With one session day remaining on the legislative calendar for 2023, the House voted 78-33 to approve boundary lines for 20 districts that eventually will each elect a representative to the school board and a plan to have 10 members chosen by voters in the 2024 election, with the remaining 10 and a board president appointed by the city’s mayor.
* Sun-Times | Incomplete grade? Chicago elected school board plan stalls amid House, Senate divisions: “We are concerned with the failure to include strong ethical safeguards in the legislation the House approved,” Harmon said in a statement released after the Senate adjourned. Harmon wrote that there is no prohibition on executives and employees of school district contractors and vendors being able to serve on the board. He also stated that those who offered testimony during several Senate hearings about the elected school board stressed the importance of electing all 20 board members next year, which anchors his proposal.
* WGN | Dolton dysfunction: Bills go unpaid amid questionable expenses: WGN Investigates also obtained copies of the township’s credit card statements, too. It showed township taxpayers also spent money on the Vegas trip. Charges included more than $8,400 for hotels; $587 at Ruth’s Chris Steak House and $3,741, just on Henyard’s roundtrip flight. During the recent interview, WGN Investigates asked Henyard if she flew first class. “Any other questions?” was her only response.
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* WICA | Bill to get IDFPR new licensing software passes Senate unanimously: A bill sponsored by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) would expedite the process to get new software to speed up the licensing process for all industries across the state. The bill would also make IDFPR extend expiration dates or renewal periods if the secretary finds operational need to do so or if it would avoid hardship on a profession’s licensees.
* Tribune | Opening statements near in historic corruption trial of ex-Ald. Edward Burke as sluggish jury selection nears end: “I’m going to make you get the openings out before the weekend, so we can get to the evidence by Monday,” U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall told attorneys before breaking for the day Wednesday evening. Friday is a court holiday.
* Sun-Times | Judge promises opening statements in Ed Burke’s trial by Thursday afternoon: Though Kendall insisted opening statements would begin Thursday afternoon — and lawyers began preparing accordingly — it will require jury selection to speed up dramatically. The 38 potential jurors who have survived the questioning amount to about 12 per day. Kendall has given lawyers a half-day to pick nine more.
* Daily Southtown | Calumet City alderman says filing complaint led to Mayor Thaddeus Jones harming his business: A Calumet City alderman said his consulting business has suffered after Mayor Thaddeus Jones, who is also a state representative, sent an email to Democratic colleagues urging them to cease doing business with him. The email advised other legislators not to use the services of 1833 Group, the consulting company run by 6th Ward Ald. James “JR” Patton. Patton said he lost three clients from the email but declined to provide information on them.
* SJ-R | Turner bill amended after property dispute between landowner, District 186 resolved: Springfield resident Joyce Downey has owned the vacant lots on 521 and 523 W. Monroe St. since 1998, according to Sangamon County property records. The district had previously offered the fair market value of $69,000, but Downey wanted more than $200,000. Now, both parties have agreed to a $100,000 deal for the property transaction. District spokeswoman Rachel Dyas said a school board vote scheduled for Nov. 20 will be the final step before the contract is approved.
* Sun-Times | Bally’s temporary Chicago casino sees average daily revenue drop in first full month: Bally’s adjusted gross revenue — its profit after paying winners — shook out to about $245,446 per day in October, down from an average of roughly $278,268 from its Sept. 9 opening through the end of that month. […] Bally’s reported more than 83,000 admissions in October, an average of about 2,681 visits per day. That’s down about 20% from the average of 3,347 who walked through the turnstiles on average each day in its inaugural weeks.
* Crain’s | Johnson taps new legislative liaison to City Council: Johnson has already tapped Sydney Holman, a lobbyist at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, to serve as his next head of intergovernmental affairs — an often behind-the-scenes but crucial post that guides the mayor’s agenda and manages relationships with the City Council and state legislators.
* Crain’s | Hotel near Mag Mile set to become a temporary homeless shelter: Mayoral spokesman Ronnie Reese confirmed in a statement to Crain’s that the Selina Hotel at 100 E. Chestnut St. will be used as a shelter beginning next month “for Chicago’s unhoused” with support from an Illinois Department of Human Services grant. The hotel, formerly known as the Tremont Chicago, will house up to 116 people and is expected to operate as a shelter for up to seven months, according to Reese.
* WBEZ | Suburban Chicago Islamic school copes with fear, sadness after threat: Principal Tammie Ismail, like many, feels that dehumanizing rhetoric spread by U.S. politicians and media about Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs in the wake of the war in Gaza has inspired hate that’s endangering her students.
* WTTW | Push for Reparations in Chicago Gets New Life as Johnson Earmarks $500K for New Panel: “These are the first dollars spent in this city to begin the process of studying both restoration and reparations,” Johnson said. “When residents who have experienced neglect and disinvestment for generations speak out of their pain and their trauma, this administration and the Black Caucus we hear you.”
* ABC Chicago | City council disruptions from gallery prompt call for changes for workplace safety: Tuesday a committee meeting had to recess because things got so chaotic, and some alderpersons are now expressing concerns about their safety. The alders that spoke with ABC7 said they can’t ever remember things being this bad, and they want disrupters put on notice that if they can’t behave in public meetings, they can’t participate.
* Crain’s | Northwestern’s stadium fate is up to Evanston’s mayor: The fate of Northwestern University’s $800 million football stadium reconstruction project hinges on the choice of Evanston’s first-term Mayor Daniel Biss. With Evanston City Council members evenly divided on the controversial project, Biss will cast the tiebreaking vote when the council makes the final call at a meeting scheduled for Monday.
* NYT | Striking Actors and Hollywood Studios Agree to a Deal: The Writers Guild of America, which represents 11,500 screenwriters, reached a tentative agreement with studios on Sept. 24 and ended its 148-day strike on Sept. 27. In the coming days, SAG-AFTRA members will vote on whether to accept their union’s deal, which includes hefty gains, like increases in compensation for streaming shows and films, better health care funding, concessions from studios on self-taped auditions, and guarantees that studios will not use artificial intelligence to create digital replicas of their likenesses without payment or approval.
* AP | A judge is set to hear arguments as Michigan activists try to keep Trump off the ballot: Activists — in two separate suits — point to a section of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment that prohibits a person from running for federal office if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. or given aid or comfort to those who have.
* Tribune | Obama Presidential Center museum director aims for history, context: During an exclusive interview, Bernard said she has grappled with how to approach Obama’s history and the controversies and challenges from his two terms in office, and present them at an institution critics worry will turn into yet another of the presidential “temples of spin” instead of an unbiased reflection of the time.
posted by Isabel Miller
Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 7:47 am
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Congratulations, Sydney!
Comment by Dirty Red Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 7:59 am
==Push for Reparations in Chicago Gets New Life as Johnson Earmarks $500K for New Panel==
If the City used a wealth tax to pay for reparations, it would likely be very popular with voters in all parts of the City.
Comment by Amy Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 8:00 am
Amy - it is always popular to tax other people.
Comment by Just Me 2 Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 8:31 am
The situation in Dolton is an open, ongoing crime spree. Law enforcement should step in the same way they would for a string of burglaries or a store being looted.
Comment by vern Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 8:37 am
The Mayor of Dolton has a protective detail. The idea that the Mayor of Dolton was a part-time job when I was a kid.
One mayor was retired and even took a small pay cut when his social security went up. The next mayor also worked for the SoS office, along with being mayor.
The town had another 4 thousand people back then.
Also, how in the heck do you spend $3,700 to fly first class to Vegas? With even a small amount of planning you could likely do that for about half as much.
Comment by OneMan Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 8:38 am
===it is always popular to tax other people.===
… which is why the Fair Tax Flop was the pro fair tax folks selling it incorrectly, as folks like Floridans Griffin and Rauner eventually left, even after the Fair Tax failing.
I’m not in favor of any “city income tax” thingy, but claiming the “wealthy” are persecuted is as preposterous as trolling the idea of a city wealth/income tax.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 8:40 am
=which is why the Fair Tax Flop was the pro fair tax folks selling it incorrectly=
And not helped by Frerichs’ support for extending the fair tax to retirement.
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:04 am
Jason Benetti bolting the White Sox to do TV play by play for the Detroit Tigers. Ouch!
Comment by Jose Abreu's next homerun Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:15 am
From ICYMI: allow legislative staff to unionize
I am somewhat curious. Are employers, including the states, allowed to decide whether or not workers can unionize? I thought this was a federal issue.
I would assume the workers can vote for representation and collective bargaining except in the case of critical workers. Legislative aides and pages and workers ought to simply organize regardless of the vote of the members of the Senate or House.
Comment by H-W Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:16 am
Nice to see Mayor Johnson finally hired a IGA chief…. 7 months late. This should have been ready to go and a person chosen on Day 1.
Comment by low level Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:18 am
=== Are employers, including the states, allowed to decide whether or not workers can unionize? I thought this was a federal issue. ===
The applicable law is the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. (5 ILCS 315). Federal, state and local governments are excluded from NLRB jurisdiction by statute or regulation.
Comment by Hannibal Lecter Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:23 am
Here is a website explaining it H-W:
https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-pr
otect/the-law/jurisdictional-standards#:~:text=The%20following
%20employers%20are%20excluded,a
nd%20wholly%2Downed%20government%20corporations.
Comment by Hannibal Lecter Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:25 am
===Frerichs===
“Who?”
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:30 am
Thanks, Hannibal Lecter.
Comment by H-W Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:34 am
@ Hannibal Lecter:
I read part of the legislative act including where it excludes legislative workers intentionally (5 ILCS 315/3.o paragraph 2).
I also note that the act explicitly waives the sovereign immunity of the state. As I understand that, it implies these workers can sue for the right to organize.
(5 ILCS 315/25) (from Ch. 48, par. 1625)
Sec. 25. For purposes of this Act, the State of Illinois waives sovereign immunity.
(Source: P.A. 83-1012.)
So is it possible that if the legislature refuses to act on this proposal, these workers could organize with the assistance of ASCME or some other group, and petition the State Supreme Court to invalidate the clause that says they are not eligible?
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:48 am
Sorry. Anonymous at 9:48 is me.
Comment by H-W Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:49 am
=== So is it possible that if the legislature refuses to act on this proposal, these workers could organize with the assistance of ASCME or some other group, and petition the State Supreme Court to invalidate the clause that says they are not eligible? ===
First, as a matter of procedure, you wouldn’t start with the State Supreme Court. With that aside, however, it is unclear whether a challenge in Court would be successful. I believe it would be a case of first impression since there are no cases to my knowledge that have been brought to the courts regarding jurisdictional issues of the ILRB since the passage of the Workers Rights Constitutional Amendment.
Traditionally, these matters are handled by the Illinois Labor Relations Board, but as noted in the Act, employees of the General Assembly are excluded from the jurisdiction of the ILRB.
Comment by Hannibal Lecter Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:13 am
Mayor Biss. Are you still the good government person you always claimed to be? will you let a very tall stadium be built in a residential neighborhood with questionable financing which could endanger the jobs of many at that university as the debt financing did before resulting in the firing of over 200 people? are you ready for HUGE noise? the sellout of Daniel Biss will be the title of an article if you break the tie in favor of that stadium. Friends around it are very upset. Sellout or good government?
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:19 am
===be built in a residential neighborhood===
That football stadium predates every living resident.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:21 am
=Friends around it are very upset.=
A lot of parallels to the prior situation with the friends of Wrigleyville. Although in this instance the university isn’t asking for a handout and is willing to commit $100M to the city. You can fund a lot of progressive causes with that kind of cash. Not an easy call at all.
Comment by Pundent Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 11:32 am
=That football stadium predates every living resident.= not what they are building…an entire stadium as high as the highest point now, nor how they will use it, concerts and lots of activity in addition to football games. friends who live there are very concerned.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 12:49 pm