THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...The plan to fix Choate...State Supreme Court taking up assault weapons ban...State revenues projected to jump again
March 9, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
A whole bunch of committee work continues in Springfield today. The Senate is in at noon, the House is in at 1. Both are scheduled for noon tomorrow. The Governor does not have anything on his public schedule.
We’ll have more for subscribers tomorrow on some of the big things that moved this week that may be a little under the radar. Which, by the way, you can become a subscriber for free! Click below: ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Let’s get to it.
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
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Illinois to relocate at least half of current residents at Choate (Capitol News Illinois)
The Illinois Department of Human Services plans to dramatically reduce the number of patients with developmental disabilities who live at the embattled state-run Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center.
Before a Wednesday announcement, IDHS Secretary Grace Hou outlined a “repurposing and restructuring” of Choate, located in rural Anna, about 120 miles southeast of St. Louis. That process will start with the relocation of 123 residents with developmental disabilities who entered the facility voluntarily — roughly half the current population.
In a separate interview with reporters, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that IDHS has been working on improvements at Choate since he first took office in January 2019. But he said “it became clear, I would say certainly over the last year — and, in part, because of your reporting — that there were more significant changes that needed to be made.”
The announcement — which the governor’s office billed as a “transformational” behavioral health initiative in southern Illinois — comes after months of reporting by Capitol News Illinois, Lee Enterprises and ProPublica that detailed the beatings of patients, a concerted effort by some staff members to cover up abuse and serious neglect, the intimidation of employees who reported it and the attempt to coerce new employees into participating in the abuse or being silent about it. Local prosecutors have filed felony charges against at least 49 people, both residents and employees, since 2015, a review of court records by reporters showed.
Hou also said the reporting played into the timing of the announcement because it has “brought a lot of this to light and I think forced the conversation into the public discourse.”
The agency will help residents relocate from Choate, and it will give them two to three years to move, Hou said. She said some will likely move into state-supported centers and others will go to community settings.
Related: Gov. J.B. Pritzker discloses plan for troubled downstate mental health center that would allow more than half of its residents to move (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Supreme Court takes up accelerated appeal of ruling that struck down state ban on high-powered guns (Chicago Tribune)
The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to an accelerated hearing schedule for the state’s appeal of a downstate judge’s ruling that struck down a state ban on certain high-powered semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity ammunition magazines.
The high court will hear oral arguments on the matter during its May term, according to an unsigned order issued Tuesday.
The state requested an expedited schedule after Macon County Judge Rodney Forbes ruled Friday that the ban, passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in response to the mass shooting at Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade, violates the equal protection and special legislation clauses of the Illinois Constitution.
The scope of the ruling remains in dispute. The attorney for Republican state Rep. Dan Caulkins of Decatur, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, contends that under “well-established Illinois authority,” Forbes’ decision means the ban “is void, as if the law never existed, and is unenforceable in its entirety, in all applications.”
Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, both Democrats, argue that it only applies to Caulkins and the lawsuit’s other named plaintiffs — a local pawnshop, its owner and a group of area gun owners.
The attorney general’s office said the circuit court ruling is not binding on other judges the way an appellate or Supreme Court ruling would be.
Related: Bid to block Illinois’ new assault weapons ban now before federal appeals court (Chicago Sun-Times)
State revenue projections increase again in fiscal year’s final stretch (Capitol News Illinois)
With two months to go before the adjournment of Illinois’ spring legislative session, Gov. JB Pritzker’s state budgeting task may have gotten easier Tuesday.
The Commission on Government Forecasting Accountability increased its revenue estimate for the current fiscal year by $575 million – yet another positive development in a monthslong streak of revenue growth.
The commission is a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers and is staffed by nonpartisan economic analysts.
“You can see in every single month so far this fiscal year we've actually had a gain where we've generated more revenue in this fiscal year compared to the same time a year ago,” Eric Noggle, senior revenue analyst for COGFA, said at the commission’s Tuesday meeting.
All told, COGFA anticipates revenues for the fiscal year that ends June 30 to exceed original estimates by $5.5 billion, rising to a record $51.9 billion.
Much of that surplus has already been appropriated. Lawmakers allocated at least $3.6 billion supplemental spending package in its January lame duck session, and Pritzker proposed spending another $490 million by the end of the fiscal year when presenting his proposal for next year’s budget last month.
COGFA’s new estimate for the current fiscal year is $545 million beyond the amount assumed by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget in Pritzker’s budget proposal.
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Legislation aims to deter book bans at public libraries by withholding grants (Chicago Tribune)
Director of Illinois Department of Corrections resigns (WBEZ)
Judge blocks ‘Chicago machine’ expert from testifying in trial of 4 accused of Madigan bribes (Chicago Sun-Times)
Illinois craft cannabis growers get much needed extension (WBEZ)
Illinois hotels go after 'abusive' customers, home-share industry (Crain’s Chicago Business)
New state flag? Illinois lawmaker introduces bill to explore possibility (Bloomington Pantagraph)
At first debate of mayoral runoff, Johnson attacks Vallas’ record as rival tries to stay above the fray (Chicago Tribune)
Runoff face-off: Johnson casts Vallas as ally of ‘right-wing extremists’ — but Vallas dubs attacks ‘nonsense, again’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
More big biz bucks flow into Vallas campaign war chest (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Bill to require warning labels on gas stoves passes state House Consumer Protection Committee (Daily Herald)
Bill before Illinois lawmakers aims to define, protect against ‘doxing’ (Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois considers legislation to protect 'kidfluencers' (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Faraci says he has 'a mission' as new legislator (Champaign News-Gazette)
An Illinois lifeline program for suicidal kids has become a bridge to nowhere for many (WBEZ)
Illinois comptroller 'cautiously optimistic' about revenues, but fully optimistic about Decatur (Decatur Herald & Review)
Downstate US Rep. Mary Miller, a critic of Chicago, coming to city to raise campaign funds (Chicago Tribune)
Pritzker: Make natural gas utilities more accountable to customers and the state (Chicago Sun-Times)
SOME TOP LINKS FROM THE WEEK SO FAR
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