Springfield News
-
AUG 27, 2017
UNLOCKEDThe week is going to start off with a bang. Here’s what you need in your calendar:- At 9:00 a.m. the House Revenue & Finance Committee will meet in Capitol room 122B for a subject matter hearing on bills that would ban the Sweetened Beverage Tax HB4082 and HB4083. The two are sponsored by Assistant Republican Leader Michael McAuliffe, of Chicago, and Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg), respectively. A lengthy roster of witnesses taking a swing at Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle’s new tax are expected, although bill movement is unlikely. It essentially gives legislators a chance to say, “I’m against the tax!” for election time.
- Dueling committees will open at 10:00 a.m. In Capitol room 115 the Human Services Committee will take up House Floor Amendment 1 to SB1707 from Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago). HFA1 remakes a bill enacting more stringent regulation of cannabis sales into a measure protecting existing Medicare managed care agreements obtained by Cook County. This comes on the heels of a recent announcement of the Rauner Administration cutting in half the number of eligible Medicare managed care organizations.
- Meanwhile, the Executive Committee will meet in Capitol room 118 at 10:00 a.m. to take up SB482. The measure is carried by Senate President John Cullerton and House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) and addresses 2017-2018 Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) restrictions in its Senate Amendment 1. The tax carve-outs were a late-added sticking point in Governor Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of SB1. The committee may run long; 11 other bills are on the agenda including a measure authorizing $10 billion in bonds.
- Some have speculated SB482 could ultimately be the vehicle to move newly negotiated school funding reform language, but keep an eye on HB3163. House Speaker Mike Madigan previously confirmed the House would advance the SB1 understudy in the event of a failed override of SB1’s veto.
The House chamber will convene at 11:00 a.m. And as Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Sycamore) noted last week, popcorn is no longer offered on the floor. You’ll need to bring your own. - At 9:00 a.m. the House Revenue & Finance Committee will meet in Capitol room 122B for a subject matter hearing on bills that would ban the Sweetened Beverage Tax HB4082 and HB4083. The two are sponsored by Assistant Republican Leader Michael McAuliffe, of Chicago, and Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg), respectively. A lengthy roster of witnesses taking a swing at Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle’s new tax are expected, although bill movement is unlikely. It essentially gives legislators a chance to say, “I’m against the tax!” for election time.
-
AUG 25, 2017
UNLOCKEDThe good news finally broke Thursday afternoon that Republican and Democratic leadership reached a compromise on school funding.
While most details are still unknown, Mayor Rahm Emanuel suggested Chicago Public Schools will see a boost and a pension pick-up under the new agreement, though may face a property tax increase. Meanwhile, private schools could see a $75 million scholarship program. The Sun-Times reports the deal also includes mandate relief, but none of the collective bargaining requests offered by the Governor Bruce Rauner
From House and Senate GOP leaders: “This afternoon the four legislative leaders and the governor reached an agreement in principle on historic school funding reform. Language will be drafted and details of the agreement released once the drafts have been reviewed.”- Another staffing shakeup in Rauner’s office saw the departure of General Counsel Dennis Murashako and communications staffers Diana Rickert, Brittany Carl, and Laurel Patrick. Some are saying Chief of Staff Kristina Rasmussen could be out as well.
- The House Executive Committee will meet at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29 in room 118 of the Capitol. Currently, there are 11 bills on the agenda, one of which authorizes $10 billion in bonds. Another addresses PTELL limits.
- The House is expected to convene Monday at 4:30 p.m.
Full Agenda of the Board of Elections' Aug. 22 Meeting - Another staffing shakeup in Rauner’s office saw the departure of General Counsel Dennis Murashako and communications staffers Diana Rickert, Brittany Carl, and Laurel Patrick. Some are saying Chief of Staff Kristina Rasmussen could be out as well.
-
House Speaker Mike Madigan called off an anticipated vote to override Governor Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of SB1 last night after a marathon meeting of legislative caucus leaders. Republican delegates requested a floor session cancellation after the two parties reached a promising point in negotiations. Madigan obliged, surprising lawmakers, including the bill’s own lead negotiators, who still have little faith it will survive the House.
-
After months of wrangling over the budget and now education funding, the House vote to override SB1 got pushed back a little further. After over six hours of negotiations between legislative caucus leaders yesterday, Speaker Mike Madigan announced he was cancelling Wednesday’s session after Republican leaders reportedly asked Speaker Mike Madigan to delay the vote “as a sign of good faith”. Leaders will meet again on Thursday to discuss next steps.
-
The House is scheduled to convene tomorrow for an anticipated override of Governor Bruce Rauner’s SB1 amendatory veto. The House Approp. Elementary and Secondary Education Committee will meet Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. in room 114, followed by floor session at 11:00 a.m.
-
AUG 21, 2017
In a flood of ink, Governor Bruce Rauner addressed 133 pieces of legislation--94 House Bills and 39 Senate Bills--last Friday. With the legislature’s fall Veto Session just around the corner, here are the eight items he vetoed which we may see taken up for a vote in October. -
AUG 18, 2017
UNLOCKEDThe Democrat’s County Chair brunch in Springfield yesterday morning had a record attendance, 1,800 people, noticeably more than in past years. But despite the capacity crowd, there were few fireworks or barnburner speeches, compared to Governor Bruce Rauner’s promise to pick up “at least” nine House seats at Wednesday’s speech to Republican County Chairs.
As usual, party faithful from around the state plastered themselves with stickers for their preferred candidates, but none of the leading gubernatorial candidates gave especially notable speeches. While Sen. Dan Biss (D-Skokie) and Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar (47) attempted to deliver message-driven speeches, Chris Kennedy focused on a Walt Whitman poem about Abraham Lincoln’s death that shot wide of his audience. J.B. Pritzker largely skipped message, and spoke mostly about party building and boosting the Democratic Party which, to no one’s surprise, was very popular with an audience of party organizers and volunteers.
Also shocking nobody, 83-year-old Secretary of State Jesse White announced his intention to run for reelection, after declaring four years ago at the same chairman’s brunch, that this would be his last term. White, it is broadly rumored, was asked by Democratic Party Chairman and Speaker Mike Madigan to run for reelection because of his stratospheric statewide popularity. If a Democrat is elected Governor, White would be free to retire after his reelection, and the Democratic governor could name his successor.- No action in the legislature is expected until Wednesday, when Madigan said the House will convene to take up an override of Rauner’s SB1 veto.
- In the meantime, Rauner added 48 names to the list of over 100 unconfirmed gubernatorial nominees waiting in the Senate. Some have been waiting since March.
- No action in the legislature is expected until Wednesday, when Madigan said the House will convene to take up an override of Rauner’s SB1 veto.
-
AUG 18, 2017
UNLOCKEDNegotiations between legislators for passage of SB1 have narrowed to one or two issues, say multiple Democratic sources familiar with the negotiations. At the top of the list for Republicans, are including some kind of school voucher program and education spending mandate relief for school districts.
Republican legislators have called for $215 million of Chicago Public Schools pension payments to be moved out of the funding formula to the pension code, but have not demanded reduction in overall Chicago pension funding, say Democrats. And there has been no discussion of reducing the CPS block grant payment either.
“They’ll leave the block grant in there,” said Rep. Will Davis (D-Chicago), lead House sponsor of SB1. They’re just looking for what they can get. That’s what it boils down to. If it was really a problem for them, they wouldn’t be willing to pay for it at all. They’re OK with trying to do it, just in a different place.”
Whether or not Gov. Bruce Rauner on board with GOP negotiations is unclear to Democratic legislators, since negotiations have been limited to legislators.
A leader meeting on SB1 is scheduled for Friday, and is likely to be conducted on a conference call, rather than face-to-face. -
AUG 17, 2017
Speaker Mike Madigan addresses the press following end of Wednesday's session.
House action yesterday was broken into two segments: a protracted and bitter argument over the Democrats’ insincere offering of governor-inspired SB1947, and a unanimous denunciation of white supremacist political actions in Charlottesville, Va. last weekend. In other words, Wednesday was a day for floor speeches. -
AUG 16, 2017
Education officials in Chicago and Springfield faced tough questions Wednesday. In a morning Chicago meeting, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) searched for funding answers while Republican lawmakers grilled superintendents in Springfield during a House committee hearing.
