In a marathon hearing lasting nearly eight hours, the Senate Special Committee on State and Pension Fund Investments grilled officials and private consultants from a range of the state’s pension funds on the achievement of diversity investment goals.

New rules for the Renewable Portfolio Standard, loosened rules for teacher licensure, and the elimination of a taxpayer ombudsman at the Illinois Department of Revenue are expected to sail through the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) meeting Tuesday morning. Committee members contacted by The Daily Line say every one of the 29 items up for consideration are slated for the “No Objection” list.

The week’s press conference schedule suddenly picked up steam yesterday, adding a new slate of bill showings and issue-focused talks by advocacy groups to the Springfield calendar. With only six days left before the General Assembly gavels in for its October Veto Session, more groups are expected to jockey for lawmaker attention before the week’s end.

Monday, Oct. 16

10:00 a.m. - A meeting of the Special Committee on State and Pension Fund Investments will convene in room C600 of the Bilandic Building in Chicago for a subject hearing on women and minority pension investments. The meeting will be chaired by Sens. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) and Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich).

2:00 p.m. - The Executive Committee of the Illinois Department of Aging will meet via video conference in both Springfield and Chicago, with the public invited to attend via conference call from  2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The call by can be joined by dialing 1-888-494-4032 and entering access code 8944358662. No agenda has been posted by the committee.

Tuesday, Oct. 17

9:00 a.m. - A meeting of the Special Committee on State and Pension Fund Investments will convene for the second day in room C600 of the Bilandic Building in Chicago for a subject hearing on women and minority pension investments. The meeting will be chaired by Sens. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) and Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich)


9:00 a.m. - Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority will meet at the MPEA Corporate Center at 301 East Cermak Road, Corporate Boardroom on the 5th Floor in Chicago. Several new contracts will be considered. Agenda.

11:00 a.m. - The Labor Relations Board will meet in 160 N. LaSalle Street, S-401, in Chicago. The board will consider action on two cases involving AFSCME Council 31. Agenda.

11:00 a.m. - The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules will meet in room 600C of the Bilandic Building in Chicago to consider a lengthy slate of items. Among them, several energy-sector rules affecting coal, solar, and wind energy production companies. Agenda.

The State Police Merit Board will hold its quarterly meeting. No agenda has yet been posted for the meeting online, although the board normally meets at 9:00 a.m. at the Thompson Center in Chicago.

Wednesday, Oct. 18

9:00 a.m. - The Latino Advisory Council of the Department for Children and Family Services will meet at the DCFS Office at 1026 S. Damen Ave in Chicago. Quarterly newsletter.

9:00 a.m. - The Illinois State Board of Education will follow their normal monthly board meeting with one of the final three budget hearings of the year. The meetings will be held in the ISBE Board Room, 100 N. First St., Springfield, 62777. Board meeting packet.

1:00 p.m. - The Board of Directors of the Liquor Control Commission is scheduled to meet in Chicago but has not posted an agenda, nor exact location information.

Thursday, Oct. 19

10:00 a.m. - The Educational Labor Relations Board will meet at 160 North LaSalle Street, Suite S-501, in Chicago. Among the final order cases to be considered, one involves the Chicago Teachers Union. Agenda.

11:00 a.m. – The Illinois Commerce Commission meets on the eight floor of the Bilandic Building in Chicago for a policy session on Illinois' Power Meter: Renewable Energy and Illinois' Transmission System. Agenda.

The Board of Trustees of the State University Retirement System are scheduled to meet but have not provided details yet. The group normally meets at 10:00 a.m. The full agenda is scheduled to be posted by Oct. 17 here.

Friday, Oct. 20

9:00 a.m. - The Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council will meet in Bloomington at the Eastland Suites, 1801 Eastland Drive. The council has not yet posted an agenda.  

10:00 a.m - The Board of Trustees of the Judges' Retirement System will meet in the Bilandic Building, room N-1810, in Chicago. No agenda has been posted by the group.

11:00 a.m. - The Board of Directors of the Illinois Housing Development Authority will meet in suite 1000, at 111 E. Wacker, in Chicago. No agenda has been posted by the group.

1:00 p.m. - The Board of Trustees of the General Assembly Retirement System of Illinois will meet in the Bilandic Building, suite S-721, in Chicago. No agenda has been posted by the group.

Money piled up this week up as high-rolling candidates entered statewide races, pushing some newcomers to the wayside and sending some seasoned professionals into frenzied fundraising. The first outlines of possible Veto Session legislation are starting to become clear, although the House’s agenda has not taken a distinct shape. Contenders for the first 3-day window include a new abortion bill, a debt transparency measure, and a vetoed labor-protective bill. In the midst of it all, Gov. Bruce Rauner faces a new lawsuit from a familiar face.

Senate Democrats circle the wagons for a famous face of state education funding reform, as a primary opponent enters the scene. Meanwhile, $2.4 million in funds will be sliced up and served by retiring legislators.

Within 34 minutes of convening the Economic Justice & Equity Committee Wednesday morning, Rep. Litesa Wallace (D-Rockford) found herself the only member of the Illinois House of Representative who could make the time to hear testimony from some of the state’s most vulnerable populations, women trapped in poverty.

Updated 10:38 a.m., Oct. 10, 2017

With yesterday’s official campaign launch by Sharon Fairley, there are now officially three major Democratic candidates running for Illinois Attorney General, with a fourth expected to announce soon. Behind the scenes candidates are scrambling to assemble their campaigns, ensuring they have team members with relationships and operational skill to help them get to victory on March 20, primary day.

Hard-hitting topics rule the day in state government. While the governor cedes a courtroom floor to the victims of an epidemic, a committee will gather to discuss the gendered impact of poverty. Quietly, another vulnerable group finds a voice in the legislature.

 

Weekly meetings and agendas from across Illinois state government...