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Friday, June 23, 2017
From the community: Sen. Oberweis: Funding reform gives more state money to local schools
Education Funding (36a)
Oberweis, Jim--State Senate, 25
Schools across the 25th Senate District will receive more money from the state, under a compromise proposal that will overhaul Illinois' current broken education funding formula, according to State Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove). Data provided by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) shows unparalleled gains for schools across the state. "...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Department of Aging lags in creating caregiver registry, audit finds
Human Services (75)
A recent audit faulted the Illinois Department of Aging for failing to establish a registry that would track caregivers whose negligence or abuse resulted in the death of a client. Adult Protective Services currently reports neglectful and abusive caregivers to the specific agencies that caregivers work for, but a registry would allow other state agencies to see who thos...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Lawmakers still divided over budget after 2nd session day
Budget--State (8)
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers remain deeply divided after the second day of a special session aimed at approving a state budget. The Democrat-controlled House and Senate met briefly Thursday. The House later held a hearing on changes to workers' compensation laws, though Republicans called it a "stall tactic." | |
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Voice of The Southern: Thumbs up to Street Machine Nationals, thumbs down to budget impasse
Budget--State (8)
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Crime (28)
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Education Funding (36a)
Thumbs down to the 723 days Illinois has been without a budget. At this point there are hardly words to describe the anger, frustration and futility experienced by Illinois residents. This week, Gov. Bruce Rauner has called the General Assembly into emergency session to try to hammer out a budget agreement. Pardon our cynicism, but wouldn’t that have been a splendid idea 722 day...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Democratic gov candidates upbraid Rauner for ‘racist’ campaign tactics
Candidates--Statewide (12)
Two Democratic candidates for governor accused Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday of using “racist” tactics by appealing to the anti-Chicago sentiments of Downstate voters. Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston and Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) made their remarks during an endorsement session held by the Cook County Democratic Party. Pawar, the only non-white announced can...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Does Rauner have any guiding principles on health care insurance?
Health Care
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Rauner, Bruce
The Senate Republicans released their health care insurance draft bill on Thursday — the House version to overhaul Obamacare passed in May — and once again, GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner isn’t doing much to make sure the final measure is good for Illinois. A core element to GOP proposals is to shift to states the authority to reshape health insurance rules: for those who get...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Emanuel-Rauner tensions rise over phone tax, Thompson Center sale
Chicago Mayor (16)
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Rauner, Bruce
Durkin, Jim--State House, 82
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Madigan, Michael--State House, 22
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Raoul, Kwame--State Senate, 13
The war between Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner escalated again on Thursday, with Rauner declaring he won’t support a phone-tax increase that would help Chicago’s cash-strapped city government, and Emanuel accusing the governor of torpedoing a compromise deal to sell the Thompson Center state office building. The latest squabbles showed the overt distrust b...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Governor, speaker handle stress by two-wheeling it
Rauner, Bruce
Madigan, Michael--State House, 22
Let’s talk stress. They both bike. Gov. Bruce Rauner straddles a Harley and hits the open road to hidden outposts Downstate. House Speaker Mike Madigan prefers to keep his bike stationary, exercising in the privacy of his Springfield and Chicago homes. Illinois is still < read more >
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Rauner to sign bill targeting repeat gun offenders
Chicago Mayor (16)
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Guns and Gun Control, FOID, Concealed Carry (46)
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Rauner, Bruce
A day after a gun measure targeting repeat offenders got caught up in a feud between Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner, the governor’s office said he plans to sign the measure into law Friday as a show of compromise. Rauner plans to sign the bill at 3 p.m. in his Springfield office. Police Supt. Eddie Johnson, who came to Springfield in support of the bill, was en ro...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Senate GOP health care bill hammers Illinois, while Rauner is AWOL
Obamacare, Affordable Care Act
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Rauner, Bruce
The Senate bill is as mean-spirited as the House bill. Illinois would get hammered even harder. And Gov. Bruce Rauner is still AWOL. Other than that, what’s not to like? The rich, at least, would get richer. It is no surprise that the proposed Senate Republican bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, finally dragged into the light Thursday, is horrib...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
How to curb Illinois university scandals
Budget--State (8)
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Education Funding (36a)
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Education--Higher (37)
Illinois has nine separate boards overseeing 12 state-owned universities. That's nine separate fiefdoms. And nine chances for leaders at those institutions to skirt ethics requirements the way outgoing Nor...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Madigan and the Do-Littles
Legislature (56)
Madigan, Michael--State House, 22
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Medicaid expansion could end early in Illinois under Senate Obamacare replacement bill
Medicaid, Managed Care
Many low-income adults across the nation could lose Medicaid expansion coverage under the Senate's < read more >
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Morning Spin for Friday, June 23, 2017
Rauner, Bruce
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration said Thursday he would not support legislation that would allow the city to raise telephone fees in order to pay for 911 emergency service. < read more >
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Rauner will sign gun crime bill favored by Emanuel
Guns and Gun Control, FOID, Concealed Carry (46)
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Rauner, Bruce
Gov. Bruce Rauner is scheduled to sign legislation Friday afternoon that would crack down on repeat gun offenders, days after the bill became one of the latest pawns in the feud between the chief executive and Mayor < read more >
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Republicans propose new schools plan in Springfield, but budget again remains elusive
Budget--State (8)
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Education Funding (36a)
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Workers' Compensation (97)
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Friday, June 23, 2017
The price we must pay to save Illinois
Legislature (56)
I thoroughly enjoyed John Kass' tongue-in-cheek article that proposes to dissolve Illinois and have it absorbed into the surrounding states. As a transplant from Minnesota to Illinois nine years ago, my assessment of Illinois has always been: Love th...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
What Wisconsin gets right
Taxes, misc. (89)
I heartily endorse John Kass' proposal to dissolve the state of Illinois. I am especially eager to see the North Shore absorbed into the state of Wisconsin, where its wealthiest residents would be taxed at a rate of 7.65 percent (which is more than ...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Why Emanuel-Rauner talks on Thompson Center fell apart
Chicago Mayor (16)
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Rauner, Bruce
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Why would any Democrat want to be Boss Madigan's footman, aka governor?
Candidates--Statewide (12)
Madigan, Michael--State House, 22
s Democratic candidates for governor pitched their cases to the Cook County Democratic organization on why they were best to take on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, something bothered me. The man who wasn't there. I just couldn't ...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Rauner rejects huge Thompson Center offer
Rauner, Bruce
Gov. Bruce Rauner has rejected a new offer from Mayor Rahm Emanuel to clear the way for construction of an enormous 2 million-square-foot office tower where the aging Thompson Center now stands, sources close to the matter in both Chicago and Springfield are reporting. Insiders say Rauner had ...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Health care leaders cautious, concerned about proposed bill
Congress (22)
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Health Care
ROCKFORD — Health care leaders in the Rockford area are taking a wait- and- see approach before they form an opinion on the merits of a Senate bill that would dismantle much of the Affordable Care Act. But one thing is clear: hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans could lose coverage in four years if the bill becomes law.
Senate leaders have worked on the bill in private for weeks and went public T...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Counterpoint: Illinois should cut property taxes now
Taxes, property (87)
Property taxes in Illinois are too high and the longer we wait to address the problem the more our property taxes will go up. According to the Tax Foundation, only the state of New Jersey has higher property taxes. It seems Illinois and New Jersey are in a fierce battle for the title of the state with the highest property taxes in the country. Citiz...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Illinois House leaders meet, but no action on a budget
Legislature (56)
Barickman, Jason--State Senate, 53
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Durkin, Jim--State House, 82
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Madigan, Michael--State House, 22
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Manar, Andy--State Senate, 48
After months of silence, the two Illinois House leaders met for about 30 minutes to discuss ways of bringing the state’s two-year budget impasse to an end. The discussion came as House Democrats continue working on their own spending-and-revenue plan that would be an alternative to a proposal offered by Republicans and one that already passed the Senate with Democratic su...
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Point: Education of state’s children harmed with property tax freeze
Education Funding (36a)
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Taxes, property (87)
The proposed legislation in the Illinois General Assembly regarding a “property tax freeze” would undoubtedly have an adverse effect on local school districts across the state, while providing a limited benefit for individual taxpayers. The proposed “freeze” is not a cap on individual taxpayers’ property tax bills. In fact, some property tax bills c...
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