THE ILLINOIZE: The legislative scramble is on and what it means...Mayors want their money...Redistricting from a non-partisan point of view...Sims assailant pleads "not guilty"
April 23, 2021
Good morning.
Ahead of today’s deadline to pass most bills out of the House or Senate, the Illinois House was taking votes until almost midnight last night.
Rep. Tim Butler’s fastball was all the buzz last night as Republicans were furious their bills, even ones that had passed out of committee, weren’t being called and are likely headed to death without a vote. We’ll get to some of the action over the last 24 or 48 hours and what it means here in a moment.
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IT FEELS LIKE MAY, NOT APRIL
If you were watching the House and Senate debate bills last night, you would have thought it was May 30 or 31 instead of April 22.
Today is the deadline to get bills out of a chamber. Not every bill, mind you, but a lot of bills. While there were some pretty straightforward bills like this or this, there were a couple of note.
Then there were bills that have other compounding complications.
Like a bill sponsored by Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) that, essentially, decriminalizes significant amounts of drugs. The bill passed Wednesday with 61 votes, just barely more than the minimum of 60 to pass legislation.
The bill essentially allows three or five grams of some controlled substances and 40 pills of opioids like oxycodone or even LSD tablets.
Police are opposed to the bill, naturally.
Potentially complicating matters is ongoing negotiations between police representatives and Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) to add a fix, or a “trailer” bill to the controversial police reform bill passed in January. We spoke to numerous people involved or near the discussion who are concerned that the view of “anti-police” legislation coming from the General Assembly could torpedo any efforts to work together. Read more about that bill here.
A couple of other items of note:
The House unanimously passed a 10-year term limit for Speaker of the House, Senate President, and the minority leaders in each chamber. New Speaker Chris Welch said he supported the idea when he became Speaker in January. Democrats put it in House rules this year, but that can be changed pretty easily. This would be actual law (and wouldn’t take effect until 2023, so Welch would technically get 12 years as Speaker if he serves the maximum allowed under the new law. It goes to the Senate.
The House passed legislation to license midwives.
The House voted to ban forced restraint and isolation as a punishment in schools. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook). It was brought into the public consciousness by a 2019 Chicago Tribune story.
Freshman Senator Win Stoller (R-Peoria) passed a bill kicking in a federal loophole to allow many businesses to to get a federal State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction. Those were limited in the congressional tax cut bill in 2017.
Both the House and Senate are back in at 10 this morning.
MAYORS WANT THEIR MONEY
Our Ben Garbarek posted a story on our website yesterday about how some mayors around the state want Governor JB Pritzker to reverse course on his plan to cut the share of state income tax revenue sent to local cities and governments.
“We don’t have other revenue sources and raising property taxes is a non-starter,” said Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsberry Jr. “Every taxpayer thinks they pay too much in property taxes but the south suburbs of Chicago, Cook County, has the highest tax rate in the country. Residents and businesses literally cannot afford future increases during these challenging and uncertain times.”
The Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) was set up as a pass-through from the state to local governments in 1969. The state would take ten percent of the Illinois income tax people paid and send it back to the municipality where they live. That ten percent was cut to a little more than six percent a decade ago. Now Governor Pritzker has proposed cutting even more to help the state during the pandemic. His cuts, if enacted, would eliminate about $100 million in funding from local governments in the next budget.
Rep. Michael Zalewski (D-Riverside) chairs the House Finance and Revenue Committee and works closely on tax and budget issues. He said he understood the LGDF was a sensitive topic for mayors.
“It doesn’t surprise me they’re being vocal about trying to protect it,” Zalewski said. “We usually down here do everything we can to avoid upsetting local mayors, including protecting LGDF. My sense is this year will be no exception, but budget negotiations are ongoing and we’re trying to figure it all out.”
NON-PARTISAN PERSPECTIVE ON REDISTRICTING
One of the state’s leading voices for non-partisan reform says Democrats should wait before passing a new redistricting plan until they have full U.S. Census numbers, even if it means asking a judge to give them a pass from the June 30 deadline in the state constitution.
Madeleine Doubek, the Executive Director of CHANGE Illinois, says the state should use census data, not the sampling in the American Community Survey Democrats appear prepared to use.
“You have several options available to you and one of them is to seek a court order to set aside these deadlines so that you can wait for the census data,” said Doubek, repeating what the National Conference for State Legislatures has told the House and Senate redistricting committees. “Why would we not wait for that full, accurate, complete census data that has historically been used to draw the maps?”
But, Doubek says, it appears Democrats want to use data available to them now to help keep their majorities in the House and Senate.
“It’s all about power, and that is why people need to pay attention, because its about their power and whether they’re going to continue to have a voice.”
And, yes, I may have called Iowa “white as a golf ball.” Go watch the video of our conversation to confirm for yourself.
SIMS ASSAILANT PLEADS “NOT GUILTY”
The Sangamon County man charged with pointing a gun at Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) plead “not guilty” yesterday.
From Dean Olsen at the State Journal-Register:
Michael L. Hoyle, 54, who is free after posting $15,000 bail the day after the alleged incident, entered the plea in front of Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin. A trial was scheduled for July.
Hoyle, the president and owner of Kwik-Wall Co. of Springfield, was arrested the night of the incident involving Sen. Elgie Sims Jr., D-Chicago.
County prosecutors haven’t provided a motive.
Hoyle has been charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of aggravated assault and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with the incident. The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of one to three years in prison.
Sims, of course, was one of the key forces behind the criminal justice reform bill that passed in January.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley turns 79 tomorrow. Didjaknow he served in the State Senate from 1972-1980?
Former State Representative Toni Berrios also celebrates a birthday tomorrow along with longtime Senate GOP staffer Abby Walsh. The Queen of Potomac, Illinois is now with The Newberg Group.
Sen. Robert Peters turns 36 on Monday.
BEFORE WE GO…
As always, thank you for your continued support and to all of you who have reached out about a subscription since we announced our plan Tuesday. If you have any questions, please drop me a note at patrick@theillinoize.com. There’s a pretty good chance I won’t know the answer, but I’ll figure it out.
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Have a great weekend, especially Rep. Tim Butler. I’m going to watch that clip forever.