THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...Abortion...Madigan-connected lobbyists...Highland Park nears one year
June 26, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
Last Independence Day, our whole family (including the then-seven month old baby) came down with COVID, so we weren’t able to take the little man to his first Fourth of July parade. Our suburb doesn’t do a July 4 parade, so we’re taking suggestions on the best suburban Independence Day parades out there. (Bonus points to a parade that doesn’t allow politicians.)
Thanks again for all of your support. If you aren’t yet a paid subscriber, I hope you’ll join us. It’s the best way to show you appreciate the work we’re doing here. Just click below to join us!
Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
The first year without Roe v. Wade: How abortion access has shifted in Illinois and beyond (Chicago Tribune)
One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, reversing nearly a half-century of federal abortion rights protections and leaving the matter up to individual states.
Roughly half of all states in the nation — primarily in the Midwest and South — moved to either ban or severely restrict abortion. But Illinois had approved strong reproductive rights protections, declaring abortion a “fundamental right” in the 2019 Reproductive Health Act. Abortion providers in Illinois have reported an unprecedented surge in patients traveling from other states to terminate pregnancies here, as abortion access dwindled in large sections of the country.
Related: Stratton: Don’t give up. Keep pushing back against anti-abortion policies. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: A year after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Illinois is fighting hard to protect abortion rights (Chicago Sun-Times)
Do you believe in ‘magic’ lobbyists? Illinois businesses stick by Madigan-connected lobbyists. (WBEZ)
Federal prosecutors used a colorful piece of evidence known as the “Magic Lobbyist List” to help convict four former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists in May of bribing ex-speaker Michael Madigan to boost the power company’s legislative fortunes.
More than two dozen lobbyists were on that ever-evolving handwritten registry that Madigan’s now-convicted consigliere, Michael McClain, memorialized on a sheet of hotel stationery with input from the longtime top House Democrat.
Those on the list all had long, Madigan-centric resumes and were first in line, testimony showed, to cash in on an endless and lucrative supply of business from groups wanting to pass or kill legislation in the former speaker’s legislative chamber.
Despite being publicly identified in the ComEd corruption case, none of the other “magic” lobbyists are facing charges as a result of that investigation. One other entry on the list, a former lawmaker, has been charged with tax fraud, but her indictment makes no connection to the ComEd case.
For its part, ComEd undertook a partial house-cleaning of its lobbying corps in 2019, the year before it entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department and paid a $200 million fine to avoid being charged with bribing Madigan.
But the utility company still employs three Madigan loyalists named on the “Magic Lobbyist List,” including a firm co-owned by the ex-speaker’s long-time lawyer, Michael Kasper; former top Madigan staffer Gabriel Lopez; and Frank McNeil, state records show.
Asked why the company has maintained relationships with them in light of the verdicts, ComEd spokeswoman Shannon Breymaier did not directly answer, other than to say “all of ComEd’s lobbyists are subject to enhanced due diligence before they are retained.” She said the company’s external lobbyists also face twice-annual reviews of their work and are barred from subcontracting, among other things.
Related: Pension board votes to take away the retirement benefits of former state Rep. Luis Arroyo (WBEZ)
Highland Park’s Darkest Day (Chicago Magazine)
We had started the parade at 10 right outside City Hall. We had walked four blocks to Green Bay Road and started down the hill on Central Avenue, with the high school marching band following us, when I turned to my council colleagues and said, “I wonder why the band stopped playing.” All I could hear was a drum cadence that was too fast for people marching. What I didn’t realize until somebody played me a video later was that I was hearing shooting. Then I saw a sea of band members in blue shirts and khaki pants racing down the sidewalk. The tuba players were running with their tubas. I couldn’t figure out why.
About 10 seconds later, a fire engine started whirring straight up the parade route at us. I thought, “Oh my gosh, somebody must be having a heart attack.” Simultaneously, I got a call from my husband — a council member’s wife had called him — and a call from the city manager: “There’s an active shooter. Somebody’s been killed outside of Gearhead.” I just thought, “What am I hearing?” And then: “Oh, not us. Not now. Not today.” Just that sinking feeling of “It’s our turn.”
SOME TOP LINKS FROM LAST WEEK
Harmon, Welch Spending Hundreds of Thousands on Politically-Connected Lawyers
Progressives Outraged Over Pause to Immigrant Health Insurance Program
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Illinois taxpayers on hook for $5.6 billion pension fix (Daily Herald)
Illinois has extended its cocktails to-go law. Here's what to know (Peoria Journal Star)
Consumer advocates, utilities spar over potential energy price increases (Capitol News Illinois)
Video gambling company agrees to pay $1 million fine to state of Illinois (WBEZ)
Biz groups excluded from Johnson's pension panel (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Editorial: Flip-flop on immigrant health care shows high cost of 'free' (Champaign News-Gazette)
Brady: 8 takeaways from the 'ComEd Four' convictions (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: Chicago should give naming rights and control of Soldier Field upgrades back to the Bears (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: What options do Evanston and Arlington Heights have for clinching stadium deals? (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: JCAR still a core component of governmental power balance (Shaw Media)
Opinion: By limiting where laws can be challenged, Illinois state government is guilty of a power grab (Chicago Tribune)
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When I sat on our county board I was often offered to have my meals paid for at meetings lobbying groups set up. I refused and paid my own tab, including tip.
That immediately set the tone of the meeting.
“Every gift is a hook.”
-G. Khan-