·
Rep. Jim
Durkin named new House Republican Leader. House Republicans are proud to
announce the unanimous election of State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-82nd District) as
the new Leader of the House Republican Caucus. Durkin served in the House from
1995-2003, and rejoined the chamber in 2006. Prior to his service in the
General Assembly, Durkin was an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, and
an Assistant Attorney General. He served as the Republican spokesman on the
special House committee which investigated and ultimately impeached former Gov.
Rod Blagojevich. Durkin is currently an Assistant Republican Leader in the
House, and serves on five House committees: Accountability and Administrative
Review, Financial Institutions, Housing, Judiciary and Transportation
Regulation—Roads and Bridges. Durkin, 52, and his wife Celeste live in Western
Springs. He is a graduate of Illinois State University and John Marshall Law
School.
Budget &
Legislation
·
FY 2014
budget analysis released by COGFA. The Committee on Government Forecasting
and Accountability has released its roundup of the FY 2014 state budget. The
entire document can be accessed here.
·
All
legislation sent to the Governor has been acted upon. Governor Quinn on
Tuesday completed action on all legislation which passed both houses and
reached his desk this spring. In total, the Governor signed 355 house bills,
234 senate bills, and vetoed five bills, three of which were duplicates of
other legislation. There was also one amendatory veto and one reduction veto.
·
New law
allows Tollway to issue list of “super scofflaws.” On Tuesday, Governor
Quinn signed legislation allowing the Illinois Tollway to make public the names
of those who have accumulated at least $1000 in unpaid fines. One day later,
the Tollway published its list: 157 names, including trucking companies,
taxicab and limousine services, a day care center and others whom the Tollway
claims owe more than $3 million in fines. Some of the firms listed have
disputed the Tollway’s findings.
·
Three
more Metra Board members asked to resign. Four Cook County commissioners
introduced a resolution which called on three members of the embattled Metra board
to step down. Metra this week named an interim executive director, Don Orseno,
in the wake of continuing fallout about clout and political hiring. The Metra
board is down to six members after a series of resignations over the course of
the summer. The non-binding resolution calls on members Don DeGraff, Arlene
Mulder and William Widmer III to step down. The resolution calls on the members
to submit resignations immediately, but to stay on until their replacements can
be seated. The six remaining members represent a bare quorum necessary for the
board to conduct business.
Downstate
·
Farm
Progress Show returns to Decatur. Legislators stopped by the Farm Progress
Show in Decatur on Wednesday, visiting America’s largest outdoor farm
exhibition as it made its bi-annual visit to Illinois. The show is held in Iowa
every other year. This year’s show features more than 600 exhibitors from
across a wide spectrum of agricultural goods and services. Among the exhibitors
were displays on production and distribution of ethanol, research and
development into improved crop yields and reduction in the risk of plant
diseases, and technology to produce enough food to supply a growing global
population. The three-day show brings to Central Illinois some of the largest
agribusiness entities and agricultural trade groups in the world.
·
Southern
Illinois officials visit Ohio to study effects of fracking. A delegation of
city and county officials from southern Illinois traveled to Carroll County,
Ohio, to visit fracking wells and learn first-hand about the impact of
hydraulic fracturing on communities where fracking is already underway. The
(Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan
reported that the findings of the trip were mostly positive, but some concerns
did arise over infrastructure, specifically damage to local roads from overuse
by heavy trucks, and also housing for workers coming into the area to support
the industry.
·
State
Capitol West Wing renovation nearing completion. A two-year, $50 million
renovation of the west wing of the State Capitol building is almost complete.
Capitol architect Richard Alsop took statehouse reporters on a tour of the
renovated wing this week, showcasing the renovated heating and air conditioning
systems, upgraded life-safety systems and improved disability standards to
bring the building into compliance with the requirements of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. The project was funded through state bonds issued for the
purpose of public works projects.
Pensions
·
Actuarial
review of pension conference committee plan finds $145.6 billion in savings.
A draft plan being considered by the 10-member conference committee charged
with coming up with pension reform legislation should save the state $145.6
billion through FY 2045 and would cut overall state pension liability by $18.1
billion according to an actuarial analysis of the plan in Monday’s Chicago Tribune. The plan would tie cost
of living increases to inflation, instead of the current flat-rate 3% annual
increase, and would reduce employee contributions by 1%. The conference
committee has not yet produced its report to the General Assembly.
Highway Safety
·
Proof of
insurance now required for automobile registration. Governor Quinn this
week signed a bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) to prevent uninsured
motorists from registering a vehicle. Under the new law, a licensed driver
would have to provide proof of car insurance when they attempt to register
their vehicle. The law takes effect in 2016. A vehicle registration which is
not accompanied by proof of insurance will be rejected. Falsifying proof of
insurance will result in a Class C misdemeanor.
·
Illinois
approves six new specialty license plates. Illinois added six new specialty
license plates this summer, and they should start appearing on Illinois
highways as soon as enough people sign up for them. The Illinois State Police
Memorial Park plate, the Legion of Merit plate, the Retired Law Enforcement
plate, the H Foundation plate, Committed to the Cure plate and the Illinois
Police K-9 plate were added to the roster of specialty license plates which
Illinois already issues. The Secretary of State will begin production of each
plate once 1500 people request it, raising at least $37,500 for the cause to
which funds from the plates are dedicated. Illinois started this year with 104
specialty license plates.
Crime
·
Early-released
inmate charged in Decatur homicide. Joshua A. Jones was released from the
Illinois Department of Corrections in May as part of the state’s early release
program for non-violent offenders. Jones, who was released 19 months into a
4-year term for selling crack and heroin, now stands accused of murder in
connection with the shooting death of a man in Decatur earlier this month.
Governor Quinn told the Associated Press that DOC officials followed the law
“precisely.” The early-release program was suspended in 2009 after a series of
scandals, but was reinstated last year.
Education
·
Mandatory
school age in Illinois lowered to 6. Governor Quinn signed legislation
Sunday which lowers the required school age from seven to six, effective at the
start of the 2014 school year. The legislation was in response to concerns
voiced by Chicago school administrators that too many students were arriving at
school for the first time at age seven and having to be sent straight to first
or second grade. Opponents of the measure claimed it encroached on the rights
of parents and would also cost schools and the state more money. Illinois joins
26 other states with a compulsory attendance age of six. Eight states and the
District of Columbia set the age at five.
Gambling
·
Governor
Quinn Reappoints Gaming Board Chairman, Member. Governor Quinn on Friday
announced the reappointment of Aaron Jaffe, the controversial Chairman of the
State Gaming Board, and board member Michael Holewinski. Jaffe has served on the board for eight
years; Holewinski for two. Both men’s term expired on July 1st.
Jaffe in recent years has evoked the ire of legislators who support the
expansion of casino gaming in Illinois by actively speaking against expansion
proposals under consideration in the General Assembly. Both men’s reappointment
to the Gaming Board must be approved by the Illinois Senate.