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The governor proposed raising another $200 million by upping the tax rates paid by sportsbooks to 35 percent from 15 percent. When the General Assembly legalized sports betting in 2019, lawmakers dedicated all revenue from it to building infrastructure projects. But the governor’s plan would direct all extra revenue generated by the increase to the state’s General Revenue Fund.
Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, one of the architects of the original sports betting legalization plan, questioned the logic of the move.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep this under the capital fund, so that we fully fund the projects that we’ve been trying to get out the door?” he asked.
Pritzker’s Office of Management and Budget Director Alexis Sturm responded that video gambling and cigarette taxes that also fund infrastructure have outperformed expectations.
Senate Bill 1556 from state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, would mandate two state regulators, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Pollution Control Board, to establish a “clean transportation standard” and reduce the use of carbon-based fuels by Illinois drivers on the state’s roads.
The two agencies would assign state-mandated “deficits” to fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel.
The Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, on behalf of more than 4,000 gas stations, convenience stores and truck stops across Illinois who serve millions of customers, opposes the proposal.
“Having the No. 1 gas tax in the nation, Illinois, my members and certainly motorists here can’t afford it,” IFRA CEO Josh Sharp said.
* Protect Illinois Restaurants…
[Deleted by Rich because the “poll” is highly suspect.]
* WAND…
Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) said his plan calls for a stewardship program to ensure proper handling, recycling and end-of-life management for used portable and medium-format batteries. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency would be responsible for implementing, administering and enforcing the program.
“Having grandkids that have a lot of toys and things, you collect your used batteries,” Koehler said Thursday. “I used to take them to my local Lowe’s store. They took them for a while. Then, all of a sudden, they didn’t. What am I supposed to do with these?”
Producers selling or distributing batteries in Illinois would be required to participate in an approved stewardship plan starting January 1, 2026. Retail stores would also no longer be allowed to sell batteries unless their producer participates in the Illinois battery stewardship program by July 1, 2026. […]
“It’s a public safety bill to reduce the risk of fire and the risk of loss of human life to any fires at facilities and in trucks,” said Christina Seibert, Executive Director of the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County. “But also, it’s a mechanism to recapture these valuable materials and reproduce them into new batteries and reduce the mining of those resources.”
State lawmakers are pushing for legislation that would require Illinoisans to verify their age when clicking on pornographic sites. Those Illinois businesses that fail to enact verification methods would be subject to civil penalties.
State Sen. Erica Harriss’ Senate Bill 2590 is much like legislation that has been filed in 25 other states, and has passed in at least seven of those states. […]
Harriss has bipartisan support. State Sens. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, and Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, have co-sponsored the legislation. The Democratic lawmakers did not immediately respond to The Center Square’s request for comment. […]
Alongside Harriss at a news conference in Springfield Thursday was state Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia. He said he has a bill that would require school boards to put their curriculum on the school district’s website.
* WGEM…
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill Tuesday changing how liability is calculated under BIPA.
Under the current law, companies need to get written consent from customers and employees to use biometric information like fingerprints, face scanners and retina scanners. That part of the law would not change, though the bill would allow companies to obtain an electronic signature for consent. What would change is what happens when a company violates the law.
Currently, they can be held liable in civil court for $1,000 in damages for each violation. It means every time an employee uses their fingerprint to punch the clock or enter a restricted area, the company could be held liable if they did not get consent. If the proposal becomes law, damages would change to $1,000 per person.
“If anyone violates the law, whether it’s an individual or a company, they have to be held accountable, and this bill doesn’t change that. What this bill does is essentially ensure that the punishment fits the crime,” said state Sen, Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, the bill’s sponsor.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced legislation that would protect workers from retaliatory conduct by employers, strengthen current protections under state law and codify the authority of Raoul’s Workplace Rights Bureau to investigate and hold employers who retaliate or threaten to retaliate accountable.
“Currently, workers who want to assert their basic workplace rights risk losing their livelihood and ability to provide for themselves and their families. For some immigrant workers, asserting their rights means risking their ability to remain in the United States,” Raoul said. “We must encourage workers to step up and report dangerous or unlawful practices, and I look forward to continuing to work with members of the Illinois General Assembly to pass these needed reforms.”
Raoul’s legislation – contained in House Bill (HB) 5561 – would fill existing voids in labor enforcement that leave workers unprotected from often-devastating employer retaliation when they seek to enforce their rights or blow the whistle on unlawful employer practices.
Specifically, the legislation would:
- Broaden the scope of conduct protected under the Illinois Whistleblower Act to protect employees who report violations of the law or threats to public health and safety directly to their employer.
- Expand the definition of retaliation to include blacklisting an employee from future opportunities and immigration-based retaliation.
- Provide express statutory authority to the Attorney General’s office to bring suit against employers who retaliate or threaten retaliation against employees.HB 5561 is sponsored in the Illinois House of Representatives by Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans, Jr. and passed the House’s Judiciary Civil-Committee on Wednesday.
* Sen. Kimberly Lightford…
The rise of co-branded alcoholic beverages – like Hard Mountain Dew and Spiked Sunny-D – has piqued the interest of children. Whether the marketing is intentional or not, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford is working to put a stop to the issue by restricting the location certain alcohol items can be displayed and sold. […]
Co-branded alcoholic beverages contain the same or similar brand name, logo or packaging as a non-alcoholic beverage. Senate Bill 2625 would prohibit stores over 2,500 square feet – which primarily is anything bigger than a convenience store – from displaying co-branded alcoholic beverages immediately adjacent to soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water, candy, or snack foods portraying cartoons or child-oriented images.
Establishments that are smaller would be required to either not display co-branded alcoholic beverages immediately adjacent to non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, or equip displays of co-branded beverages with clearly visible signage stating that the product is alcoholic. […]
Senate Bill 2625 passed the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday and heads to the full Senate for further consideration.
posted by Isabel Miller
Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 10:04 am
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Once again Rep. Rita shows keen insights. Another question to consider is whether the tax hike makes the sportsbooks non competitive with online ventures that can be reached via handheld devices?
Comment by Annonin' Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 10:16 am
While the survey of tipped restaurant employees was technically “conducted” by CorCom, Inc., it was completed on the Illinois Restaurant Association’s dime, the questions are basically push poll questions, and the individuals surveyed were all selected and employed by IRA member restaurants.
The IRA represents restaurant owners, not workers. It is lobbying hard against this bill. The survey was only given to employees of restaurants that are members of the IRA. The member restaurants themselves chose which employees should receive the survey and also paid them (meagerly) for completing it:
“Participating restaurants, who are members of the restaurant trade group coalition, distributed the
survey to their tipped employees. Respondents were offered a $5 Amazon gift card for participating.”
Survey participants were asked to list all of the benefits of the current tipping system. They were never asked about the disadvantages of it.
Here is an example of the unbiased questions asked in the survey:
Which compensation system would you prefer?
A. The current system with a lower base wage and tips that provides the ability to earn more than minimum wage
B. A different system with a higher base wage, but a less certain outcome on tipped income for the server
Here’s a link… I’m honestly surprised that after all of the manipulation of this survey the IRA was only able to produce a report claiming that two-thirds of their folks strongly support the current system. I imagine with a second try they could push that number up to 90%:
https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000018e-4097-dddf-a19f-fbb7ce380000
Comment by Skokie Man Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:23 am
===While the survey of===
Your points are well taken. I would not have posted that poll without context. Therefore, I deleted the press release. It may be posted later, but with context next time.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:33 am
Post the IRA poll eventually please.
I want to see how it compared to the DIY one I did back in late summer when (cough cough) nobody else was willing to circulate one around the Chicago hospitality industry.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dnVUBJbJrQiwifrMqCJUGsOpwMP4wvof/view?usp=sharing
Methodology: I had a beer and wrote some obvious questions and sent it to every email address that had opted in to any of my work email lists except the media accounts.
Comment by ChicagoBars Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 12:26 pm
I have a naive question.
From the Center Square story and a previous post, how exactly are porn sites going to be able to actually verify the age of children? Would not requiring a click stating you are over 18 or 21 require access to some set of public records for confirmation?
Comment by H-W Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 12:30 pm
Perhaps I should be more clear. If a kid wants to access a porn site, could they simply take a photo of their parent’s license while they are sleeping, and then use that photo?
Verification seems pretty slippery in this case.
Comment by H-W Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 12:40 pm
===I have a naive question. ===
Read the bill. It’s not that long.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 12:44 pm
Hi Rich
I did. It just says vendors will use publicly available data or privately available data. My first thought was license numbers, which a kid could easily access from their parents by taking a picture of the parent’s license. I am not sure this model will prevent children from accessing adult sites unless there is a feedback loop to a phone line. But given that I have four phone lines attached to my account, I can imagine slippage there as well.
Comment by H-W Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 1:09 pm
Question I want to see asked: Do you believe the current tipping system in sustainable?
As with everything, the money has to come from somewhere. In this case, that money comes from the customer’s pocket. As the cost of living has risen and my salary hasn’t, I’ve been forced to cut back.
One of the ways I’ve cut back is not going to restaurants as much. I realize my anecdotal situation doesn’t constitute a trend. But am I really the only one?
I suspect a lot of workers surveyed would have different answers if the bottom ultimately fell out of the system and they suddenly didn’t even make minimum wage.
Comment by Former Downstater Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 1:33 pm