THE ILLINOIZE: Court ruling could net former legislators big bucks...Let's talk about redistricting laws...Kelly says Dems should run on Biden rescue plan...16+ eligible for vaccine starting Monday
April 9, 2021
Good morning.
I get my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today. I’m very much looking forward to a steak and a cocktail at Gibson’s in Rosemont and getting to my first Cubs game of 2021.
Get the vaccine, boys and girls.
What is your first big post-vaccine plan? E-mail me at patrick@theillinoize.com. We’ll share some of the best responses Tuesday.
For now, though, there is a lot of stuff happening on a Friday morning.
Let’s get into it.
FORMER DEM LEGISLATORS WIN BACK PAY SUIT
A years-long lawsuit over whether two former Democratic state senators should receive back pay when they themselves voted for pay cuts and were forced to furlough on other days took a new step late yesterday.
A Cook County judge ruled a legislator’s salary is set in the constitution, and can’t be diminished during their terms. So, the judge ruled Comptroller Susana Mendoza owes former Senators Mike Noland and James Clayborne around $100,000 each.
Noland left the legislature in 2017 and is now a Kane County judge. Clayborne retired in 2019 and is currently partner in a St. Louis-area law firm.
Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorne Woods) quickly jumped on the ruling calling on the Attorney General, which represents the state in civil cases, to appeal the ruling.
“Today’s court ruling, which essentially allows legislators to cast politically popular votes refusing pay increases and then, by judicial fiat, receive those pay increases anyway, is yet another vivid example of why Illinois citizens do not trust their state government,” he said.
The Comptroller’s office didn’t comment last night, but in 2019, Mendoza called the two legislators “hypocrites who don’t deserve a penny.”
I couldn’t reach Noland or Clayborne last night.
While this ruling only applies to Noland and Clayborne, if every member of the General Assembly were to ask for back pay, the cost could skyrocket to close to $10 million.
Here’s our story from late last night.
LET’S TALK ABOUT REDISTRICTING LAWS
I promise I won’t bog you down in nerdy details.
In an opinion piece this morning, I have a few thoughts and some analysis on the Republican and Democrat arguments making redistricting such a complicated battle.
Democrats think they’re bound by law to pass new maps by June 30. Republicans disagree (not to mention, dragging it out helps them have a chance to get to the table). The GOP thinks you need to use census data, but that’s delayed.
Check out the ideas, and flaws, in both of their arguments.
KELLY: DEMS SHOULD RUN ON AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN IN 2022
Congresswoman Robin Kelly, the new chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, spoke to the City Club of Chicago yesterday (virtually, of course), and our Ben Garbarek filed this story on her comments.
The party in power often loses seats in Washington during a president’s first midterm election. As Democrats hold a narrow majority in the House and the smallest possible majority in the Senate, Kelly outlined the case for Democrats running in 2022.
“We need to get our message out,” Kelly said. “We need to get out that we passed the American Rescue Plan, that we didn’t have one Republican vote, that we did that. We got money to businesses. We got money to individuals. We put more money into COVID testing, vaccinations, contact tracing. We did all of that. We sent money to schools so they could open up with the ventilation that they need, whatever it is that they need, that we did that without any help.”
Kelly said that wasn’t to suggest bipartisanship is dead. She pointed to legislation she’s currently working on to reduce maternal mortality rates with Ohio Republican Bob Latta. But if bipartisanship hasn’t died, it might be on life support.
“We can all talk about Republicans that we’re working with,” she said. “We want to unify as much as possible and support the president but I’m not going to lie. January 6th did something to many of us. We know that several of our colleagues were involved with that. They were giving speeches to the people that later came into the Capitol carrying the Confederate flag. We saw who did not vote for President Biden’s election to be certified. It’s very difficult to work with people like that who are being negative to be negative.”
There continue to be questions about the legality of Kelly’s appointment as chair. Some Democrats say she cannot legally raise money for her own political committee and a separate committee, as well. Kelly says her lawyers are still working through the issue.
150,000 NEW DOSES IN BURBS NEXT WEEK, CITY WANTS SOME STATE VAX
Governor JB Pritzker visited one of the state vaccination sites in suburban Forest Park yesterday to reaffirm, I guess, that the state would open to all people 16-and-older beginning next week. He had already announced the opening previously.
As the positivity rate in the state continues to tick up (it was up to 4.8% yesterday, and was 2.5% barely three weeks ago), Pritzker said to beat back the spread and of variants was to open vaccinations to as many people as possible.
At the same time, the City of Chicago wants Pritzker to hand over some state vaccine supply. The city and state get separate supplies from the federal government.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city has been pushing federal and state officials to ship vaccines that are going unused elsewhere in Illinois to the Chicago area because up there “the supply is just not meeting the demand yet.”
“I’m hopeful that it may come through, but we’ve not had any indication that it will at this point,” Arwady said about pleas for increased shipments.
A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health did not respond to a message about reallocation of doses from downstate.
Read more here.
CONDOLONCES
Our sincerest sympathy to the family of former Congressman Bobby Schilling. Schilling, the former Quad Cities area pizza shop owner who swept into the House during the GOP wave of 2010, died earlier this week after a battle with cancer.
Schilling was defeated in a redrawn district in 2012 by Cheri Bustos. He lost a rematch in 2014 and later moved to Iowa where he ran for Congress again in 2020, losing a GOP primary.
I only met the Congressman once and he was a very kind and likable guy. I have some friends who worked for him and they loved him. Our prayers go out to his family and friends.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy birthday yesterday to former Illinois GOP Chairman and my good friend Pat Brady.
Former first lady Patti Blagojevich celebrates today. Congressman Chuy Garcia turns 65 Monday.
BEFORE WE GO…
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Have a great weekend.