THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...Last gasp effort to save Invest in Kids?...Ameren pulls plug on right of first refusal bill...Staff union bill passes House
October 26, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
We’re up and at ‘em early this morning. I’ll be on WLS-AM in Chicago shortly after 6am. You can listen on the old fashioned radio or online here.
The House canceled today. The Senate is in at 10. Governor JB Pritzker is attending the Brown Sugar Bakery factory opening on the southwest side at 1pm. He did not hold any events in Springfield this week.
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Let’s get to it.
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
Democratic legislators introduce bill to extend controversial private school tax credit program (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois House Democrats introduced a bill Tuesday that would extend a controversial private school tax credit for another five years, which supporters say could prevent thousands of children whose tuitions are funded through the program from having to leave their schools.
Originally signed into law by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2017, the “Invest in Kids” program touches on the divisive issue of school vouchers and is one of the most hotly contested issues confronting Illinois lawmakers as they returned to Springfield this week for their final days of legislative session of 2023.
In addition to extending the program through 2028, the proposal introduced Tuesday would reduce maximum annual contributions awarded by the state to $50 million from $75 million. Instead of the 75% tax credit, the donors would get a 100% credit for the first $5,000 they contribute, then a maximum 65% tax credit for any additional amount if the children they sponsor live in underserved communities and a 55% credit if the children don’t.
The annual limit for tax credits of $1 million would also be reduced to $500,000.
The program is fiercely opposed by teachers unions. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who last week said he would support any measure that comes to his desk “to extend the program in whatever form,” on Tuesday sought to distance himself again from the program he once vowed to repeal.
“All I was pointing out was that the General Assembly needs to act first,” Pritzker said.
The Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association accused Pritzker of choosing “to side with anti-public education Republican governors in other states” and “going against the values of the Democratic Party.”
In Chicago on Tuesday, Pritzker addressed questions about a social media post made by a union official, which was later deleted, comparing him to conservative Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida for his stated willingness to extend Invest in Kids.
It’s still unclear whether the new proposal can make it through the General Assembly. Democrats, who control both chambers of the legislature, remain divided on whether to keep the program for myriad reasons, including criticism that it hasn’t sufficiently lived up to its mission to benefit children from underserved communities.
Related: Editorial: Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he will sign Invest in Kids bill. Get it done, Springfield. (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: After bobbing and weaving, governor withdraws from fight (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: Lawmakers will decide if tax break program can continue (Shaw Media)
Ameren, unions to regroup after conceding defeat on 'right-of-first-refusal' bill (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Downstate electric utilities, trade unions and their allies in the legislature waived the white flag Wednesday on their attempt to override Gov. J.B. Pritzker's amendatory veto of a measure that would have given the utilities first dibs on building out billions of dollars in new transmission lines.
Instead, hoping to negate the "argument that this thing was done in the dark," the bill's sponsor said advocates would embark on a campaign to "educate" legislators with hopes of bringing forward a new proposal in the spring legislative session.
"So we're looking at doing a full education swing in the spring, introduce a bill that puts the state of Illinois as a right-of-first-refusal state for the whole state with no sunset," said state Rep. Larry Walsh, D-Elwood. "But we want to educate the public, the members of the legislature, the ratepayers, etc. that this is the right policy."
The stakes are high. Bids are anticipated for a tranche of transmission projects over the next few years as the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the regional transmission organization that operates the grid in downstate Illinois and 14 other Midwestern states, prepares for a flood of wind and solar projects that are expected to come online.
The union- and utility-backed proposal would have granted downstate utilities Ameren and MidAmerican Energy the right to build new transmission lines without having to go through a competitive bidding process. The measure would have sunset at the end of 2024.
This right-of-first-refusal provision was slipped into a larger energy bill via an amendment in the waning days of the legislative session in May. It received significant support from moderate Democrats and all Republicans, but was opposed by progressives.
The measure was perceived by some as a legislative "sneak attack" as many legislators did not have time to review the amendment before it passed. Powerful statehouse interests, including utility companies, have used similar tactics in the past to push favorable legislation in Springfield.
In this case, proponents say the measure is needed to expedite the buildout of new transmission lines, and will allow the work to be controlled by the utilities and workers already familiar with the grid.
Pritzker issued an amendatory veto of the measure in August, arguing that was anti-competitive and would ultimately lead to higher electricity bills for ratepayers.
Bill proponents, most notably Ameren and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, still worked behind the scenes to garner support for an override, which requires a three-fifths vote in both legislative chambers.
However, it became clear that the uphill effort was going to fall short.
Related: Downstate utility, electrical workers union put effort to control transmission line construction on hold (Chicago Tribune)
Proponents drop push to give downstate utilities dibs on new transmission lines (Capitol News Illinois)
Editorial: Illinois lawmakers should sustain Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s veto of this unwarranted gift to Ameren (Chicago Tribune)
House Speaker Welch's legislative union bill advances in House (State Journal-Register)
A bill allowing the unionization of legislative staff passed in the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday and now heads to the Senate.
House Bill 4148 passed in a 74-35 vote along party lines following a short debate. As promised, House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch filed amendments to his bill after it passed in committee yesterday.
Mostly correcting drafting errors, the amendment changes the creation date of the Office of State Legislative Labor Relations — which would represent staff in collective bargaining matters — to one year before the bill's effective date on July 1, 2026. It also reduces the original 30-day notice to strike to five days.
Welch said he expects further amendments to come in the Senate, meaning the bill would return to the House if it passes in the other chamber.
Related: House approves framework allowing legislative staff to unionize (Capitol News Illinois)
SO FAR THIS WEEK ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
Rep. Kelly Burke on Cancer, Leaving the House, and Priorities
Don't Expect Movement on Big Issues During First Week of Veto Session
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposes new agency for early childhood services (Chicago Tribune)
Lawmakers float plan to pay Chicago school board members (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Central Illinois site among 31 chosen as 'tech hub' by Biden administration (Bloomington Pantagraph)
More pregnant Illinoisans are dying — and it’s mostly preventable (WBEZ)
Pritzker urges residents to unite ‘across religions, across ethnicities to renounce hatred’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
Illinois is looking to overhaul how kids learn to read (WBEZ)
Illinois among 33 states suing Meta, alleging its platforms have harmed kids (Chicago Sun-Times)
Park advocates make another legal argument against Obama Presidential Center even as construction continues (Chicago Tribune)
Springfield man charged in Jan. 6 Capitol riot has died (Chicago Sun-Times)
Donald Trump Jr. fundraising visit to Addison excites GOP base (Daily Herald)
Editorial: Backing ban on red-light camera campaign cash, then taking the money is just hypocrisy (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Despite dangers of radon, only a handful of local schools follow guidelines for testing (Daily Herald)
Ugaste: Here’s how to combat opportunity deserts in Illinois (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: Give nuclear energy a chance to help end carbon pollution in Illinois (Chicago Sun-Times)
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