Friday could be historic deadline for Lege – or then again, maybe not

Friday will be an intriguing day for those of us following the General Assembly, which ought to be all of us living across Illinois.

PRITZKER: Will he have anything to sign into law?

There’s a good chance that Illinois will move extremely close to enacting new laws doing away with the notion that people using marijuana ought to be regarded as criminals, degenerates and an all-around scourge on our society.

WE MAY ALSO get changes in the law meant to allow for people to legally gamble on sports events other than horse racing.

This on top of the notion of implementing a graduated income tax over the current flat-tax system – a move that would require an amendment to the Illinois Constitution to be enacted. Which the Illinois House of Representatives gave its approval to Monday afternoon.

It’s possible that the General Assembly will finish up the spring 2019 legislative session by approving a constitutional amendment that could be put up for a vote in 2020. In addition to the gambling and marijuana measures.

This spring – whose session comes to an end Friday – could turn out to be one of the most significant legislative sessions of all time.

OR MAYBE NOT!

Because there’s always the chance that our state Legislature could turn out to be cowardly, spineless and all-around gutless.

There’s the chance that legislators may decide that marijuana and gambling are just too big a step for them to want to take. They may well decide to wait for another time before taking on these issues.

This may be a big week in Springfield, … 

Think I’m kidding? Just realize how many decades the issue of building a new Chicago-area airport near Peotone has been contemplated by the Illinois Legislature.

THE BOTTOM LINE is that I honestly don’t know what to expect from our state’s Legislature this year, or any time for the next few years.

Theoretically, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has the potential to run roughshod over his political opposition. He has, in theory, Democratic majorities in both the Illinois House and state Senate so large that they would overrule the Republican caucuses that would be inclined to oppose him.

But it’s also possibly that our legislators have the backbone of the cowardly lion. They may not want to have history record that they legitimized marijuana or made it legal to place a bet on a ballgame (provided that the ballclubs get a share of the gambling proceeds).

Or if they do, they’d rather have the final vote turn out to have Republican support along with Democrats. So that neither side can take total blame for the issue for those people eager to impose their sets of morals on everybody else.

THEY MAY THINK that taking on all these issues could be too much to take on at one time. Or maybe they just don’t have enough ambition to want to do significant things – fearing that too much change will be held against them.

All these things that the Illinois General Assembly spent the spring contemplating? It makes me think our legislators have the ambition level of way too many people (and myself, sometimes, to be totally honest) that I knew in college.

We did enough to make sure we’d get passing grades, and wound up waiting until the last minute before going on a work binge to ensure all our papers were written for our course loads.

… but activity returns next wk. to Thompson Center

Which is why the General Assembly likely will work its way to a hectic pace at week’s end – and may well have a final day of legislative action that pushes dangerously close to a midnight deadline.

BUT WHO’S KIDDING whom?

It’s the equivalent of collegiate “cramming.” Whether anything of significance will change in Illinois? It could turn out that, years from now, we’ll wonder how we could ever have thought the Legislature would accomplish anything this spring!

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Ill. budget “brawl” likely to get ugly

I remember back when I was still in college, trying to gain some experience that might make me a reporter-type person someday when an editor told me the very definition of “news” is wherever there is conflict. People in agreement about things just aren’t very newsworthy.

Madigan seems determined to continue ...

If that’s the case, we’re in for a significant scrap in coming months – because I can see massive conflict occurring within state government.

GOV. BRUCE RAUNER met Thursday with the General Assembly’s leadership, and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, made it clear he’s not about to meekly cower in the governor’s presence just to get a budget put together.

With regard to the Illinois government budget being put together for the state’s 2019 fiscal year (which begins July 1), Rauner earlier this week made a point of talking of the need for the state to have a balanced budget, while also implying that the problem was the Democratic majorities that run the General Assembly.

They’re not doing what Rauner wants of them. They are to blame for any inability of state officials to put together a budget before the state Legislature’s scheduled adjournment come the end of May.

Which led to Madigan issuing his own statement following the Thursday morning session – one in which he attempted to shift back blame to the governor.

AS THE ESTEEMED (some sarcasm intended) “Mr. Speaker” said, “If the governor’s agenda is to push more of his extreme cuts to health care, senior services and resources for our most at-risk residents, or if he again intends to move the goalposts and create chaos, he should stay on the sidelines and allow serious leaders to continue working cooperatively to address the challenges facing our state.”

Because I don’t expect Rauner to put himself on the sidelines during budget negotiations that are taking place in coming weeks between the Democratic and Republican leadership of the Illinois House of Representatives and the state Senate.

For one thing, Republican leadership wouldn’t allow it.

... the political brawl Rauner brought on

They’re not going to meekly go along with whatever kind of orders Rauner tries to bark out at them.

RAUNER’S OWN POPULARITY ratings have dwindled (26 percent approval, and 60 percent disapproval – the worst of any governor seeking re-election this year, according to the Morning Consult group’s latest study) to the point where I suspect many GOP legislators don’t want the governor taking them down to defeat along with him come the Nov. 6 elections.

While many Democratic officials counting on the Donald Trump unpopularity factor aren’t about to do anything to appear to be caving in to Rauner on anything.

Budget talks are going to be downright ugly – and likely to accomplish little of anything significant. Because both sides seem to be more interested in one-upping each other.

If you think about it, Madigan’s comment about, “if the governor is finally ready to accept responsibility for the management of this state and be an honest partner in trying to pass a budget, we welcome him to this process” is about as snide and sarcastic as Rauner earlier this week saying he was fighting against, “a corrupt machine of self-dealing, unethical behavior … that benefit a few against the people.”

WHICH MAKES IT ironic that Rauner wants us all to think his four-year term as governor has been about “reform.”

When the reality is Rauner has behaved in as an obstructionist a manner as any other official within Illinois government has ever done. Meaning that obstructionism in the name of partisan politics is very much a part of the “Way things are done” in Illinois.

Is Pritzker our 'savior' by default?

Although going for so much of the four years of his term without a balanced budget in place will leave the Rauner Years with quite a legacy – particularly if he insists on finishing out his time in office without a budget in place for fiscal 2019.

It will be enough to make all of us eager for Election Day so we can pick a replacement to live and work in the (newly-renamed) Governor’s Mansion.

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EXTRA: If at first you don’t succeed…

I suppose Gov. Bruce Rauner could claim a political victory, as fleeting as it might turn out to be, by pointing out the Illinois House of Representatives failed Wednesday in its efforts to pass a law concerning “right-to-work” legislation despite the governor’s objections.

RAUNER: He leads, for now

It was the General Assembly during the spring session that passed a bill prohibiting municipalities from enacting their own laws meant to undermine the ability of organized labor to operate in their communities.

BUT DURING THE summer months, Rauner (the man whose gubernatorial premise is to do whatever he can to undermine labor unions) used his “veto” power to kill the law. If he can’t get the state to enact “right-to-work” in Illinois, he’ll settle for a city-by-city piecemeal approach.

That led to the state Legislature, convening for their fall veto session, working to override Rauner’s objections. The Illinois Senate took the override vote successfully, which led to the Illinois House (led by the evil being Mike Madigan – or so GOP ideologues would want us to think) taking its best shot at killing off a Rauner desire.

They didn’t quite make it. The Capitol Fax newsletter reported that the vote taken on the override measure was 70-42, with Rep. Michael McAuliffe, R-Chicago, voting “present” and six others not voting.

The 60 percent majority required in the Legislature to override a gubernatorial veto is 71 votes, meaning effort to thwart Rauner fell one vote short.

McAULIFFE: Voted 'present'

BUT THAT DOESN’T end the politicking on this measure. For according to legislative rules, the bill’s sponsors can have this roll call thrown away, and try again another day during the veto session.

Reports coming out of the Statehouse during the afternoon indicate that’s exactly what will happen, with another vote likely to be called in a couple of weeks just before the Legislature adjourns for the 2017 calendar year.

One legislator, Sam Yingling, D-Round Lake Beach, was absent, while there may be some serious politicking in coming weeks to get some of those who managed to not vote on the issue to get off their duffs and cast a vote this time around.

Meaning Dems are likely optimistic they can get one more person to vote “aye,” which would allow for the veto override to pass – and give Rauner’s veto a great big raspberry.

YINGLING: Missed the vote

ALTHOUGH THERE MAY well be just as much politicking to try to find a person or two who voted “aye” this time around to – if not vote “nay” – just sit on their keisters and “accidentally” forget to vote next time around.

It’s going to be ugly as political people fight over the future of anything related to “right-to-work,” which is justified since the concept of “right-to-work” itself borders on ugliness.

It’s based on the ideas of some people who, for whatever reason, resent being asked to join a labor union when they take a job that is covered by such a benefit. “Right-to-work” is that Southern concept spreading its way to other states wishing to make an ideological statement that says people can’t be forced to join a union. If that were all at stake, I’d argue anybody silly enough to not want union backing is only hurting themselves with such actions.

But “right-to-work” usually is used by businesses to take actions meant to openly discourage labor unions from gaining any influence within their companies – and is meant to penalize those people who (from the business’ perspective) have the unmitigated gall to even think of wanting organized labor representation.

 

MADIGAN: Will he win in the end?

IN A PLACE like Illinois, particularly with its two-thirds majority of residents living in the urban Chicago metro area, “right-to-work” has never taken hold (although over in the neighboring “Land of Hoosiers,” it has). Our state Legislature is representing a majority of Illinoisans in rejecting the very concept.

Which has led some individual communities (usually in the more rural parts of the state) to try to declare themselves “right-to-work” communities – a move that the federal courts have struck down on the grounds that only the state can make such a declaration.

Which is what is behind the new bill – by which government officials who try to push for such measures in the future could face misdemeanor criminal charges.

A step that some may consider too drastic – but when it comes to such a loaded issue like “right-to-work,” it is only natural that peoples’ tempers will get all riled up, “fightin’ words” will be spoke and the politicking will be fierce as certain people defend the rights of workers to have their desired union representation.

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Hoosiers eating crow?!? The race to backtrack from “religious freedom”

I must admit to being surprised at how quickly Indiana government officials are backtracking themselves concerning the alleged “religious freedom” law enacted last week.

Indiana Gov. Dan Pence said Tuesday he expects the Republican-dominated Indiana General Assembly (the negative image of what we have in Illinois) to pass some measure by week’s end that will clarify the intent of the new law so as to make sure that people can’t wind up being discriminated against based on sexual preference.

WHICH IS THE fear of many of those who are now lambasting the Land of Hoosiers for having felt the need to lead the nation in passing such a law to begin with.

It was interesting to hear Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society speak earlier this week on WTTW-TV’s “Chicago Tonight” program about how the law doesn’t really make Indiana much different from Illinois in terms of the way people’s rights are protected.

Although the difference appears to be that Illinois has laws including sexual preference as a category of person whose rights are protected. Indiana has never felt the need to offer such protections within their state law. Which is a big difference, no matter how much some try to downplay it!

That is why some wonder if the law is meant to let people who have hang-ups with regards to gay people (particularly on the marriage issue) claim that their religious beliefs are somehow being violated.

AS THOUGH THOSE beliefs somehow permit people to act on their prejudices toward those they don’t like.

It actually reminds me of a “Sunday school” moment when I was a kid of about 8 when we were told that being a “good person” had nothing to do with whether one went to “Heaven” after death – it was about how strong one’s religious faith is.

Perhaps some people think being the last hold out against gay marriage is what will assure them a place in the hereafter; while presuming that everybody else is Hell-bound.

As though God is the ultimate bully who backs those who bully everybody else not like them. I’d like to think that if there really is a hereafter, certain people are in for the shock of their existence when they find out how wrong they truly have been in life!

BECAUSE THE WAY that Indiana’s political actions of last week made any sense was as a political statement; letting it be known they did not approve of having “gay marriage” forced upon them by a federal judge – as opposed to Illinois where the Legislature and governor enacted changes in the relevant laws.

Which themselves were only a couple of decades old and were part of an effort by a then-Republican-dominated Illinois government to make its own statement against gay marriage.

Now, Indiana officials have to back away from their hard-headed statement. Perhaps it was all the public condemnation they were receiving that caused the change of heart.

Not just that the band Wilco cancelled an Indianapolis concert, or that the NCAA was talking about never again holding the men’s basketball tourney in the Indiana capital city (the Final Four will be held there this weekend, and it wouldn't be practical to relocate the event at this late date).

NOT EVEN THE fact that several states (including New York) rushed to enact legislation saying they were prohibiting non-essential travel by their officials to Indiana so long as the new law remained in place. Not that it would have cost much. Because how many people make non-essential trips to Indiana at all!

Or even the fact that Mayor Rahm Emanuel is now hitting back against all those vapid “Illinoyed” ads that Indiana has concocted trying to claim that businesses should jump for the chance of a Hoosier mailing address so as to get lower tax rates.

The lower taxes might just be evidence that the state government doesn’t do as much as Illinois does, and that the public embarrassment of having the Indiana address might not be worth the cost savings.

And we can all think of State Line Road as being just another municipal boundary like Howard Street to the north – rather than the barrier beyond which oddball things happen when one ventures too far to the east!

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EDITOR’S NOTE: It may be nothing more than fantasy, but there are times I wonder if those northwestern Indiana counties ought to just shift themselves over to Illinois. While some Hoosiers would probably wet their pants with glee at the thought of being rid of Gary, we in Illinois would gain additional Congressional representation (and Electoral College votes) at the expense of Indiana. We’d see how quickly Indiana would quit wanting to live in such isolation from the rest of the Great Lakes states.

EXTRA: ‘Up and out’ before he was in?

It’s becoming the “mood disorder” heard ‘round the world, with some people already speculating about who could succeed Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill.,  on the off-chance that his ailment forces him to step down from Congress.

Which is likely a long-shot. But anything is possible.

YET I COULDN’T help but notice a Crain’s Chicago Business report this week that went so far as to name potential successors. The business newspaper went so far as to include Napoleon Harris in the mix of people who could someday soon be going to Washington.

For those of you who are now wondering “Who??!?,” Harris is the suburban Flossmoor resident who grew up in Dixmoor, was a football star both at Thornton High School in Harvey and Northwestern University in Evanston, then went on to play a few seasons in the National Football League.

Since then, he has used his money to buy a couple of Beggar’s Pizza franchises in the south suburbs. He also has political aspirations.

Which is why he ran for, and won, the Democratic primary back in March for an Illinois Senate seat being given up by state Sen. James Meeks, D-Chicago. He doesn’t have any serious challenger for the general election.

SO COME JANUARY of 2013, Harris will become a state senator from the south suburbs.

Unless, by some chance, he gets his chance to make the “up and out” move before he ever gets to Springfield.

The idea of someone in the state Legislature being called upon to serve in Congress isn’t at all unusual. Many of the representatives and senators now serving in Washington did their time in the state capitols of our nation.

But Harris (who’s actually Napoleon III) could be the first to make the move to the higher level of government before ever actually serving at the Statehouse.

HE COULD GET the benefits of the Illinois Legislature without ever having to endure the nonsense inherent to being a state lawmaker.

Unless, of course, all of this Jackson speculation turns out to be overblown and he remains in office. This is a slow time of the year for Congress, and I don’t think his presence was missed when the House of Representatives persisted Wednesday in taking a blatantly-ideological vote concerning health care reform by the same people who want to believe that “mood disorder” is just a cover-up for a drinking problem.

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Political people getting worked up for wrong reasons over Derrick Smith

It is an embarrassment for our state that an incumbent legislator from the West Side gets elected to office just one week after we learned he was indicted on federal charges claiming he solicited bribes in exchange for his services as a representative.

But I have to be honest. The real embarrassment isn’t so much related to state Rep. Derrick Smith, D-Chicago, as it is to the way political people on all sides of the partisan equation are behaving.

EVERYBODY IS TRYING to behave like they’re “holier than thou” and are somehow superior to everybody else. That’s just a batch of nonsense.

I’m talking about the Republican legislators who immediately reacted to Tuesday’s Democratic primary victory by Smith over Tom Swiss (a conservative ideologue who was hoping that a lack of specific information about himself would enable him to “steal” a seat from the Democratic caucus) by calling for hearings to discipline, if not outright remove, Smith from office.

Then again, I expect a partisan reaction. It is easy for me to dismiss such talk by GOPers as the rantings of a batch of political gasbags.

The fact that Democratic Party-affiliated politicos in Springfield are now taking on such legislative hearings (and according to the Capitol Far newsletter actually contemplated whether they could hold them in executive session – a.k.a., in secret) is complete trash.

THE IDEA THAT they’re trying to create the illusion that they’re going to “discipline” one of their own is stupid. It’s ridiculous. It’s absurd. If anything, it borders on hypocritical.

They would be the last people I would expect to impose serious discipline, since the whole strategy behind the way they dealt with news of Smith’s indictment in U.S. District Court in Chicago was to urge people to vote for Smith in the primary.

Because they knew that if Smith won, his eventual replacement would fall into their hands. A Swiss victory (he is a former executive director of the completely ineffectual Cook County Republican Party) would have meant engaging in a hard-core campaign to depose him come 2014 – which they likely would have done.



The Illlinois Statehouse will feel this gloomy and doomy while legislators try to figure out what to do with previously-unknown representative Derrick Smith.



Nobody really cares about punishment. It’s about using the Smith situation to try to bolster their own political situations. This is partisanship at its worst.

ALL OF WHICH means that the hearings scheduled to start Tuesday at the Statehouse in Springpatch (which are being billed as a mini-version of the impeachment hearings held in 1997 for then-Illinois Supreme Court Justice James Heiple and in 2010 for now-incarcerated former Gov. Rod Blagojevich) are a batch of bunk.

Cheap rhetoric at its worst. The ultimate in grandstanding, with politicos of both parties seeing who can outdo the other side in terms of diminishing what little public reputation Derrick Smith has.

Personally, if I were in Smith’s position, I wouldn’t do a thing to move toward resignation (which is what Democratic leadership would like Smith to do, now that it is a “done deal” that they can appoint his replacement).

He does still have that “innocent until proven guilty” thing going for him. Until a jury comes back with a “guilty” verdict and a judge agrees (or until he enters a “guilty” plea), he doesn’t have to go anywhere.

AND FOR THOSE people who are going to argue that having an indicted person hanging around the state Legislature is embarrassing and adds to the symbolic stench of the place, I say, “nonsense.”

All the high-minded “trash talk” we’re going to get from legislators pretending to be morally superior than Smith will be more of an embarrassment than anything Smith is alleged to have done.

Because the reality is that Smith, who was nothing but an appointed replacement himself to finish off the Illinois House term remaining when Annazette Collins gave it up to become a state Senator, is alleged to have written a letter on behalf of a day care center owner who wanted a state grant.

There’s nothing wrong with that, EXCEPT that prosecutors claim the only reason he wrote the letter was the $7,000 in cash (all hundreds, from someone who turned out to be an FBI informant) that he received in exchange.

WHICH MAY BE the ultimate evidence that Smith is not so much a corrupt, venal individual as he is a dim bulb – so to speak.

Legislators often offer up their influence to projects or groups in their home districts in order to gain their eternal gratitude – which if played properly (and legally) can be worth far more than $7,000 in cold, hard cash.

If Smith were truly as conniving as I’m sure some people are going to claim next week that he is, he would have been able to gain much more for himself in favor after favor that would have bolstered his influence – and NOT have to worry about the prospects of an indictment and conviction.

Which makes me think that this is a two-bit, petty crime that political people will try to exaggerate to make themselves feel all-powerful. That offends me much more.

FOR I KNOW that Smith, if he is guilty, will eventually be weeded out by the criminal justice system. The political blowhards who want to get themselves involved for their own selfish reasons will linger around the Statehouse Scene for far longer.

Much longer, as a matter of fact, after the name “Derrick Smith” fades away from our memories and becomes a “who dat?”

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