THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...Gun shops bustle after assault weapon ban put on hold...Should estate tax be repealed?...More dirt on Proft papers...Why were only some ComEd execs charged?
May 1, 2023
Rabbit, rabbit.
Good morning, Illinois.
Welcome to the final month (or 19 days, actually), of the spring legislative session. Kiss your kids and spouse and keep the whiskey handy, it’s going to be a wild ride.
The House and Senate return tomorrow at noon. Governor Pritzker discusses Medicaid at a high school on the northwest side.
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Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
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‘There was a line outside the door:’ Thrilled gun shop owners weigh in on blocked weapons ban (Chicago Tribune)
Suburban gun shop owners were swamped with weekend crowds after a federal judge in the district court for the Southern District of Illinois issued an injunction Friday, blocking enforcement of the state’s January ban on military-style firearms.
When Roger Krahl, owner of RGuns in Carpentersville, heard about the injunction, he said the phones in his office lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Within 15 minutes, we had people coming in,” Krahl told the Tribune on Saturday. “There was a line outside the door before I could open up this morning. There will be no lunch today, because we’ll be going nonstop.”
Krahl told the Tribune he was “overjoyed” when he got word of the ruling by Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn.
Writing that “a constitutional right is at stake,” McGlynn found the plaintiffs in the case showed the law caused an “irreparable harm” by denying them the ability to “purchase their firearm of choice” and “exercise their right to self-defense in the manner they choose.”
Maxon Shooter’s Supply owner Dan Eldridge said he hasn’t seen this level of business at his Des Plaines establishment since the panic buying that occurred immediately following the first COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.
Eldridge said he expects record crowds and panic buying to continue into next week, as courts move forward with the ruling.
Related: Illinois’ assault weapons ban enforcement blocked by federal judge in southern Illinois (Chicago Sun-Times)
Illinois ban on high-powered firearms blocked by federal judge downstate; Gov. Pritzker’s office ‘confident’ law will be upheld (Chicago Tribune)
Calls to reform estate tax grow, Gov. Pritzker mum on the issue (State Journal-Register)
A local attorney told The State Journal-Register nearly 12 years ago that 2010 was a "good year to die." Well, at least for relatives of the deceased.
The reason Jim Lestikow, an attorney with the Springfield firm of Henshaw & Culbertson, made this comment was due to Illinoisans not facing a federal or state estate tax - a payment imposed on the estate of a descendant before inheritance is delivered - that year. Since then, the tax has returned and its exemption threshold has gradually increased.
As it stands, net assets in Illinois assessed at $4 million or higher are subject to a tax ranging from 0.8% to 16%. Calls to reform the estate tax have grown in recent weeks in the Capitol, albeit with varying methods.
Illinois Republicans have long promoted either a full repeal or modification of the tax, a method which the minority party claims will keep more people in the state. Their legislative efforts have fallen short in this aim, including one that would have go into effect if voters approved the graduated income tax proposed constitutional amendment in 2020.
"My priority is balancing the budget, making sure that we are continuing our march to credit upgrades and making sure we've set the real foundation for fiscal stability in our state," he said following remarks made during the 2023 Illinois Business Day event in Springfield.
Characterization of this being a tax on the wealthy is not one that Illinois Farm Bureau Director of State Legislation Kevin Semlow agreed with.
Increasing farmland value and agriculture equipment costs in recent years have made more middle-class family farms meet the Exclusion Limit, he said, causing them to either sell of some of their assets or to take-out loans to make their payment. IFB supports either a repeal of the state estate tax or increasing the threshold to $12 million - closer to the federal estate tax limit of $12.92 million.
"We are one of the last few midwestern states that have it (state estate tax) and it really hampers agricultural interests, especially farmers," Semlow told the SJ-R.
Pritzker is no dummy. A billionaire who was born on third base knows its a PR disaster to give himself a ginormous tax break, even though the estate tax kills family farmers.
Illinois Democrats denounce as ‘deceitful’ a pipeline used in last year’s elections to right-wing local news sites (Chicago Tribune)
A publisher of far-right websites and mailings designed to look like newspapers created a special online portal for top Illinois GOP candidates and activists to directly seek favorable coverage during last year’s elections, according to a newspaper report that prompted state Democrats to denounce the actions as “deceitful” to voters.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Brian Timpone, an ally and business partner of right-wing radio talk show host Dan Proft, used a password-protected portal that allowed Republicans to pitch stories, provide questions for interviews, place campaign announcements and run “verbatim” op-eds on websites and mailings that are published by the Local Government Information Services organization.
One example the Post cited in the use of the portal-to-publish network was by the campaign of GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey in his unsuccessful bid against Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker last fall.
The “DuPage Policy Journal” was among several titles of websites and mailings, including the “Chicago City Wire” and the “Will County Gazette,” containing misinformation about Democratic policies under Pritzker that landed in voters’ mailboxes prior to the general election. Pritzker called them the work of Proft, who lives in Naples, Florida, and labeled him a “racist political consultant.” In response, Proft said, “It’s like being called ugly by a frog.”
State Democratic Chair Lisa Hernandez, a state representative from Cicero, said the revelations go “far beyond news with a partisan tilt,” but represented “a deliberate distribution of disinformation that came straight from Republican candidates and their campaigns.”
Related: Report allegedly reveals how Dan Proft’s news sausage gets made (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: When You Cheat and Still Can't Win (The Illinoize)
A 'ComEd Four' prosecutor finally explains why some executives weren't charged (Crain’s Chicago Business)
For the seven weeks jurors heard evidence that former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore allegedly conspired to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan for favorable treatment of her company, one question has lingered.
What about other executives at ComEd and parent Exelon who not only knew of parts of the alleged scheme and did nothing to stop it, but also signed off on key elements?
As part of his final address to jurors, lead prosecutor Amarjeet Bhachu provided an answer: No one at the utility or its parent, except Pramaggiore, had the full view of the pile of favors being done for Madigan.
The three he mentioned in his rebuttal April 25 were Joe Dominguez, who succeeded Pramaggiore as ComEd CEO; William Von Hoene, longtime No. 2 executive at Exelon; and Tom O’Neill, general counsel at ComEd and later at Exelon. He made no mention of Chris Crane, Exelon’s CEO during most of the years in question.
In a slide shown to jurors as Bhachu discussed the issue, the names of the three were shown with this comment: "1. 'The question is whether the defendants had corrupt intent — not someone else.' "
"None of those folks had the full picture," Bhachu said.
Related: ‘ComEd Four’ jury ends a third day of deliberations and will return Monday (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: Lobbying game or corrupt gamesmanship? (Champaign News-Gazette)
SOME TOP LINKS FROM LAST WEEK
Caulkins Won't Run for Re-Election, Potentially Setting Up Bloomington vs. Decatur Showdown
Rep. Moylan on Bears Legislation: "A Bill That Could Actually Pass"
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Budget talks heat-up amid committee deadline week (State Journal-Register)
Illinois Gaming Board slammed video gambling company for alleged ties to bookmaker, but it’s still reaping millions (Chicago Sun-Times)
Former Gov. Jim Edgar, others share leadership lessons at EIU (Journal Gazette-Times Courier)
As Texas plans to resume busing migrants to Chicago on Monday, Mayor Lightfoot blasts Gov. Abbott in letter (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois' first privately built toll bridge opens (Crain’s Chicago Business)
8% of suburban gas pump lines failed inspection last year (Daily Herald)
Frank Annunzio, who represented Chicago in Congress, was linked to the mob, his FBI file shows (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Lawmakers shouldn’t rush to spend more money on flawed Peotone airport plan (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Thanking Caulkins for his service (Decatur Herald & Review)
Opinion: The pros and the cons of Brandon Johnson's transition picks (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: Bring carbon capture technology and its environmental benefits to Illinois (Chicago Sun-Times)
Opinion: Work of reforming public revenue structures far from over (Shaw Media)
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