THE ILLINOIZE: Tick tock...Dems being pulled in multiple directions...Moderate Dems want pro-police legislation...Pritzker to sign teacher vax bill today...Irvin mailer goof

April 5, 2022

Good morning.

Counting today, there are four days left in the spring legislative session. The House is IN at noon. the Senate is IN at 11:30. The Governor signs a teacher vax bill at 11 (more on that below).

A fix for the underwater Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund isn’t soup yet and may not be. There doesn’t appear to be a lot of consensus on a crime package (more on that below). And, of course, there are huge disparities between Democratic tax packages, how they would impact people, and, of course, how they would impact a new budget. Oh yeah, and a new budget.

Instead, the House argued over a non-binding resolution on Title IX, nonbinding resolutions chiding Congress on access to health care, and a 30 minute proxy fight over the Governor’s executive powers on a bill to allow hospitals to allow a person to be with a dying love one (like many stories through the pandemic).

Good use of time and lots of sunshine on the process. And it isn’t just the House, the Senate was in session about 17 minutes yesterday and did about squat. There was also a Passover seder for lawmakers at the Governor’s Mansion last night. I’m a Lutheran boy from the country and definitely not a Member of the Tribe, but I don’t think Passover begins until next week.

At the end of each session, even dating back to my time as a young reporter with a lot less white hair, people would always ask “are they going to get it all done?”

Typically, everyone knew it would because that Madigan guy always seemed to “land the plane” (another Springfield trope).

But there are a lot of unanswered questions out there. It’s a strange session at a strange time in an election year while poll numbers on both sides are showing all h-e-double-hockey sticks breaking out out there. Democrats in the House weren’t able to get everything done by May 31 last year.

Is it worse this year than other years? Depends on who you ask.

“The progressives believe they are in charge and don’t feel they need to give on anything,” one insider told me last night. “They want to spend more than we’ve ever seen and every tax cut interferes with more spending. So they have an intraparty struggle.”

But one lobbyist told me it’s too early to think there’s an issue.

“This happens every year,” the lobster said. “They’ll get their [stuff] together before Friday.”

This year, like every year, my stock answer applies: “talk to me Friday night.”

There will be a lot to happen between now and whenever the final gavel falls Friday or later. Paid subscribers will get the latest as the week goes on. That includes subscriber-only newsletters tomorrow and Friday as well as breaking news alerts directly to your inbox. It’s only $7.99 to try it for the first month. Give us a shot!

As always, drop me a note at patrick@theillinoize.com with questions or comments. I’ll be headed down first thing tomorrow for the duration.

Let’s get to it.

A MODERATE DEM CRIME PACKAGE EMERGES

A group of mostly moderate Democratic lawmakers Monday unveiled a package of bills they hope will counteract public backlash to rising crime and a criminal justice reform bill passed last year dubbed by opponents as “anti-police.”

Most of the Democrats standing up to propose the legislation Monday were either those who live in close districts, like Rep. Dave Vella (D-Rockford) or Sen. Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon). Some, like Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago) are facing primary challenges in a district with a heavy presence of first responders.

The package of bills included a pension sweetener to keep police officers from retiring when they hit age 55 at a time that police forces are experience an exodus of officers. The group also plans to increase funding for officer mental health programs.

“We have to look at comprehensive ways to support law enforcement and to make sure that we can really bust through those barriers that have prevented first responders from accessing the desperately needed mental health support that they need,” said LaPointe during the statehouse news conference.

Republicans were critical of the Democratic plans.

“Democrats in Illinois have repeatedly attacked our police and justice system,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs). “Today, they are trying to rewrite history. Until they wake up and repeal their pro-criminal SAFE-T Act, there will be no safe communities in Illinois.”

A more progressive group of lawmakers last week proposed more money for a witness protection program and youth programs.

Pro-police groups spoke in support of the moderate Democrat proposal Monday. Some progressives criticized the group that included no African American lawmakers.

If you want to read the bills, they’re HB1568, HB1571, HB1321, HB3863, HB3893, HB4228, HB4364, and HB4608.

TEACHER VAX BILL GETS SIGNED TODAY

The Governor is scheduled to sign legislation this morning that gives vaccinated teachers paid leave if they get COVID-19. It’s a bit of a watered down bill from the original teachers union proposal that would allow any teacher, regardless of vaccination status, to take paid leave if they caught COVID.

Not really sure if it’s a timely bill at this point, but I’ll be interested in seeing how the Governor justifies it.

IRVIN CAMPAIGN GOOF

Richard Irvin’s gubernatorial campaign is admitting it sent a direct mail piece that failed to disclose it was the source of the attack on primary foe Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia.)

More from our friend Rick Pearson at the Tribbies:

The mailers, which began appearing in mailboxes late last week, came from a post office box in Aurora, where Irvin is mayor, but failed to directly disclose that they were paid for by Irvin’s campaign as required under the election code.

A letter sent to the State Board of Elections on Sunday by Irvin’s campaign attorney, John Fogarty, acknowledged the violation and blamed it on the printer who sent the mailing. Fogarty’s letter said the placement of the postal permit used on the piece covered up the required disclosure.

Fogarty said the campaign was informing the elections board “immediately” of the violation and said that a new version of the mailer with the legally required disclosure would be sent to voters.

The mailer features a photo of Bailey, a state senator from Xenia, in between photos of President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama with the headline: “Bailey breaks with Trump.” It goes on to quote Bailey from a campaign event discussing his decision to pull a Democratic ballot in 2008, saying, “I might have voted for Biden.”

Bailey has said he voted Democratic in the 2008 primary as part of a strategy to deny Hillary Clinton the presidential nomination.

Bailey has used Rush Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos” in 2008 as the reason he pulled a Democrat ballot. Except, the effort for Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary didn’t begin until after John McCain wrapped up the GOP nomination in late February. The Illinois primary that year was on February 5.

The mailer issue isn’t a huge deal. It’s expensive because you don’t get political party mail discounts in the primary, so they’ll be paying for the ad twice. But when you’re Scrooge McDuck-ing with Ken Griffin’s money, that isn’t a huge concern. More than anything, the campaign should have known better.

WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

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Have a great day.