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MAY 30, 2018
UNLOCKEDEmanuel’s trio - Three of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s highest-priority bills have encountered snags so far, with just one — a bill addressing carjackings — anticipated to clear its final hurdle and head to the governor’s desk.- A massive bill which would have overhauled the state’s sports betting laws and cleared the way for a Chicago casino died Monday in the House Executive Committee on a 5-4 vote.
[Chicago Sun-Times: Rahm thinks latest Chicago casino bill is a loser, City Hall adviser says] - An Emanuel-backed bill allowing police to use drones to surveill “large crowds” without a warrant was resurrected Tuesday with a new House floor amendment after being defeated in a full House vote Friday. SB2562 was given new life with a minor change under HFA1, from Chicago Democratic Rep. John D’Amico. The amendment would increase the definition of “large” from a police-estimated 100 people to a police-estimated 1,500 people. The amendment does not address the concerns of data privacy raised by some opponents.
Chicago Democratic Rep. Ann Williams filed HFA3, which bars the use of the drones for monitoring political rallies or religious gatherings. HFA3 also raises the bar on the estimated crowd size to 10,000 attendees. Williams said the move specifically reflects the desire of the sponsor to use drone monitoring for entertainment and music festival events where previous shootings have occurred such as Lollapalooza.
Tobacco 21 - The Illinois House shot down a bill Tuesday that would have banned the sale of tobacco products to consumers under 21 years of age. SB2332 failed by four votes. Oak Park Democratic Rep. Camille Lilly moved to hold the bill on postponement, keeping it alive temporarily. Reporting for CapFax, Hannah Meisel snapped a picture of the vote count. [Tweet]
Gun bills - Two bills moved ahead Tuesday, closing in on final passage. Oak Park Democratic Sen. Don Harmon’s Gun Shop Bill 2.0 cleared the House on a narrow vote. SB337 passed 65-49, and is headed back to the Senate where it is expected to receive concurrence tomorrow before heading off to Gov. Bruce Rauner. Meanwhile, Deerfield Democratic Sen. Julie Morrison carried the Red-Flag Gun Restraining Order Bill, HB2354, through Senate Judiciary Committee passage on a 9-3 vote. At the time of publication, the measure was placed on the full Senate’s calendar for consideration on May 30.
New #MeToo - NBC’s Mary Ann Ahern reports a new voice may be added to Springfield’s #MeToo movement Thursday. According to Denise Rotheimer, who spoke out against Chicago Democratic Sen. Ira Silverstein, a new female activist will come forward to name a “leading lawmaker” as a longtime abuser. - A massive bill which would have overhauled the state’s sports betting laws and cleared the way for a Chicago casino died Monday in the House Executive Committee on a 5-4 vote.
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Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s highest legislative priorities were in limbo as the final week of the legislative session began.
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MAY 29, 2018
Tuesday, May 29
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MAY 25, 2018
Governor’s desk - The following measures have cleared both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly.
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Metro unemployment down - For the second month in a row, unemployment rates in all of Illinois’ metropolitan regions have fallen. “The unemployment rate has been below previous year levels in all metro areas for 10 of the last 11 months… In fact, three metro areas saw their lowest unemployment rate on record for April,” . Illinois Department of Employment Security Director Jeff Mays said. The data are from a newly released set produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most regional year-over-year numbers are still down, but Illinois’ overall state gain for non-farm jobs is currently 48,300. [Release]
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MAY 24, 2018
The Illinois House passed a measure Wednesday aimed to keep guns out of dangerous hands. The bill won passage with both Republican and Democratic support despite a last-minute message of opposition from the National Rifle Association, received by members in the middle of the chamber’s debate.
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MAY 24, 2018
Sexual harassment - Two bills taking aim at sexual harassment in the public sector have been approved by the General Assembly, with one headed to the desk of Gov. Bruce Rauner. The Illinois Senate approved HB4242 and HB4243 on unanimous votes Wednesday. Both of the measures are sponsored by Cary Republican Rep. David McSweeney.
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MAY 23, 2018
A bill backed by the Illinois Finance Authority, boosting caps on one of its loan programs sparked a heated debate in the Illinois House Tuesday during its narrow passage in the chamber.
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MAY 23, 2018
LIG requested in Cassidy allegations - One story took over the Illinois statehouse Tuesday, following allegations made Monday by Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago). House Speaker Mike Madigan sent a letter to Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter, requesting an investigation into “recent allegations of possible sexual harassment and retaliation” made by Cassidy, adding: “Myself and my staff will cooperate with any investigation into this matter.”
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MAY 22, 2018
The Illinois House and Senate flew through bill motions Monday afternoon in a late convening of the chambers. On either side of the rotunda, lawmakers sped batches of bills to their final votes of approval. The following is a round-up of key legislation now headed to the desk of Gov. Bruce Rauner.
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