Statewide Update—Feb. 22, 2012

http://bit.ly/xaB7cH

State Journal-Register—Editorial: What we’d like tko hear in Quinn’s speech today, “Over the past few days, we’ve gotten some hints about what Gov. Pat Quinn will propose in his budget address today. An operations budget trimmed to fiscal 2008 levels and another attempt to close numerous state facilities are among the sketchy details that already have emerged. Here are a few things we’d like to hear from the governor.”

• Bloomington Pantagraph—GOP lawmakers rail on pension shift, “Republican lawmakers Tuesday called on Gov. Pat Quinn and Democratic leaders to put the brakes on a plan that could shift state pension costs to local school districts and universities. Calling the idea a ‘recipe for chaos,’ House GOP lawmakers said local school districts and universities cannot absorb millions of dollars in additional costs that would come with the change. In order to finance the added costs, school districts would be forced to raise local property taxes and universities would have to raise tuition, they said.”

• Evanston Review—Forum explores Evanston township-dissolution question, “Other townships in Illinois may have good stories to tell about the services they provide, but Evanston is a unique situation, said one of the panel members at a forum last week on the city’s move to dissolve township government. Evanston Township government, as opposed to multi-town townships in other areas of his district, perform only a few services, said Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, said speaking at the Feb. 15 forum – ‘llinois Townships – Relevant or Redundant’ sponsored by the Better Government Association.”

• Chicago Tribune—State House Oks property tax cap for suburban homeowners, “In a potential election-year gift to homeowners and businesses, the Illinois House Tuesday voted to block suburban governments from increasing property taxes when overall property values decline.”

• Daily Herald—In 5 years, 82 of 85 suburbs’ property tax take rose, “At a time when property values have gone down considerably, many suburbs have sharply increased how much they’re receiving in property taxes. More than two dozen towns throughout the suburbs have raised property taxes by more than 20 percent since 2006, according to an analysis of five years worth of property tax records. Among 83 suburban municipalities stretching over seven counties, all but one increased their property tax revenue over the five years, despite a flagging economy.”

• Rockford Register Star—Rockford City Council delays vote on redrawn ward map, “Some Rockford aldermen want the city’s proposed ward boundaries for 2013 through 2023 tweaked to keep neighborhood groups and existing relationships intact. Aldermen met before Tuesday night’s City Council meeting to talk about concerns with the proposed map and decided to postpone a vote.”

Statewide Update—Feb. 21, 2012

http://bit.ly/wCPFHI

State Journal-Register—Quinn calls for spending cuts, action on bills, “Gov. Pat Quinn warned Monday that he will propose slashing government spending to its lowest level in years in a budget plan that his office says will still include a tiny increase for education and an attempt to chip away at the state’s vast backlog of unpaid bills. Quinn wants to increase education funding by $90 million, or about 1 percent, with the money going to early childhood education and college scholarships, said spokeswoman Brooke Anderson. His proposal also includes a call for closing unneeded tax loopholes as a way of coming up with money to gradually pay billions of dollars in overdue bills, she said.”

• Chicago Tribune—CTA warehouses to get spring cleaning, “As part of the initiative to cut costs and increase efficiency, the CTA plans to auction off about one-third of its total inventory of unused parts and supplies in late spring, officials said. It will also hire a qualified company to manage inventory, they said.”

• State Journal-Register—Uncertainty still looms for regional superintendents, “Sangamon County Regional School Superintendent Jeff Vose does not want a repeat of last year. A year ago, Vose could only watch as Gov. Pat Quinn reduced the money allocated to his office to zero… Now, Vose’s attention is turned to a commission that holds the fate of his role in Illinois’ education system. The Streamlining Illinois’ Regional Offices of Education Commission is expected to play a major part in deciding whether Illinois continues to have regional superintendents.”

• Chicago Tribune—Editorial: You’ll know Quinn is serious if… “Want to talk reality? Illinois has nearly $200 billion in debts and unfunded obligations and is hopelessly behind in paying its bills. No state is in more dire shape. So today we offer a listeners’ guide for the governor’s budget address. Here are five ways you’ll know if Quinn is serious…”

• (AP) Bloomington Pantagraph—Quinn says he deserves higher job-creation grade, “Pat Quinn deserves a passing C or C+ grade on job-creation policies as governor, but his administration must do more to improve the business climate and burnish the state’s image to woo would-be investors away from other states, a key business leader said Monday. Illinois Chamber of Commerce president Doug Whitley made the comments as he launched a two-day, statewide tour to highlight obstacles he says stymie growth and thwart attempts to reduce a state jobless rate that’s hovered stubbornly around 10 percent. The national unemployment rate is closer to 8 percent.”

• Peoria Journal Star—Woodford County Board meeting postponed; no agenda posted, “The Woodford County Board meeting room was expected to be packed Tuesday night because of an anticipated vote regarding wind farm ordinance revisions. But because a meeting agenda apparently wasn’t posted publicly, the board room is expected to be quiet… The Illinois Open Meetings Act mandates notice of public meetings be posted at least 48 hours in advance at the principal place where they usually are held, Minger said. Otherwise, the meeting cannot be conducted.”

• Bloomington Pantagraph—Rutherford: State needs to improve closure process, “Just days before Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to announce a slew of facility closures as part of a budget-cutting proposal, state Treasurer Dan Rutherford says long-range planning would help better prepare communities and employees for the changes that would come if a facility is closed.”

Statewide Update—Feb. 17, 2012

Northwest Herald—Editorial: Our taxes hard at work, “[McHenry] County is spending taxpayer dollars for membership in Metro Counties of Illinois, a lobbying group working in Springfield to add more exceptions to the state’s Freedom of Information Act. Specifically, a measure supported by the Metro Counties is House Bill 3137, which would exempt drafts of speeches and presentations, government job applications, recommendations and opinions on applicants for government jobs, among other information.”

• Huffington Post— Illinois House Agriculture Committee To Hear Abortion Bill In Strategic Move From Pro-Life Reps, “A bill that would impose stricter operation standards on health care centers that perform abortions is being pushed through the Illinois House Agriculture Committee this month, in a strategic move that the state has seen before… Last year, the Better Government Association reported that seven bills had been sent through the Agriculture Committee that had nothing to do with farming or the environment, most of which dealt with controversial issues including gambling, abortion and even the state’s hotly-debated concealed carry measure.”

• Chicago Tribune—Leading aldermen in no rush on City Council protester crackdown, “The same aldermen who proposed new rules to limit crowd participation at City Council meetings said today they’re in no hurry to see the rules enacted.”

• (AP) State Journal-Register—Quinn’s budget plan to include more state facility closures, “Gov. Pat Quinn says he’ll propose closing ‘quite a few’ state facilities in his budget address next week. The Democrat told The Associated Press Thursday that the closures are necessary for a better budget. He declined to give any specifics on the closures, saying details would come during his budget address Wednesday.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Blagojevich to serve sentence at Denver-area prison, “Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich will serve his prison sentence for corruption at a low-security federal prison for male prisoners near Denver, as he had requested and a judge had recommended, sources said.”

• Daily Herald—OTB plans on track in Hoffman Estates, “After years of talks, an off-track betting facility may finally land in Hoffman Estates by the fall…[Senior village planner Jim Donahue] said the village and Cook County will each receive 1 percent of the ‘handle,’ or dollars wagered at the facility. He said the owner expects to bring in about $14 million in handle per year once the facility is operational, generating $140,000 annually for both the village and county.”

• SouthtownStar—Rahm Emanuel finds ally in new fire chief Jose Santiago, “Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday appointed 33-year veteran Chicago firefighter Jose Santiago as Chicago’s new fire commissioner — and found an ally in his plan to wring millions of dollars in savings out of the city’s second-largest department.”

• Bloomington Pantagraph—Little room left to waste: County urges restraint as landfill approaches limit, “Bloomington, Normal, McLean County and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency all would play roles in the approval process [to expand the current site.] Several years ago, the IEPA set state recycling goals in an effort to reduce the amount of solid waste going to landfills. The Illinois Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act required larger municipalities to create solid waste management plans that include recycling.”

Statewide update—Feb. 16, 2012

http://politi.co/xKByRl

Chicago Tribune—Chicago area racks up most public corruption convictions in US, “The Chicago area logged the most public corruption convictions of any federal jurisdiction in the United States during the past 36 years, according to a report released Wednesday by the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prosecutors secured 1,531 public corruption convictions in the Northern District of Illinois since 1976, said Dick Simpson, head of the university’s political science department.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Four aldermen want to silence public in City Council meetings, “Aldermen Edward M. Burke (14th), Ray Suarez (31st), Richard Mell (33rd) and Carrie Austin (34th) want to change the City Council rules to prohibit the audience in attendance at Council meetings from expressing their excitement or displeasure with the proceedings.”

• Chicago Tribune—Illinois strip clubs could face $5 ‘skin tax’, “The legislation is in an early form and could change, but it would require strip club owners who serve or allow liquor to be consumed on the premises to pay the $5-a-person tax. The money would go into a special new state sexual assault prevention fund, and the state would make grants to organizations that provide community-based programs designed to reduce sexual assault or help to crime victims.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Sneed Exclusive: CPS discovers maternity leave, “Sneed has learned Chicago Public School officials have found a way to partially revise an accrued sick day policy costing the district $37 million a year. It’s called maternity leave.”

• Daily Herald—Senate panel discusses Medicaid, unpaid bills, “Medicaid and the Illinois’ massive backlog of unpaid bills are among top issues a state Senate panel has discussed days before Gov Pat Quinn gives his budget address. Democratic state Sens. Heather Steans of Chicago and Dan Kotowski of Park Ridge led the panel in Chicago Wednesday in an effort to get a snapshot of Illinois’ finances.”

• SouthtownStar—Kadner: Cullerton defends state teacher pension shift idea, “Illinois Senate President John Cullerton telephoned to explain why he feels it’s necessary to shift the cost of teacher pensions off the state budget and onto local school districts. I have been critical of this idea, which has been publicly discussed by Cullerton, Gov. Pat Quinn and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.”

• (AP) Peoria Journal Star—Quad Cities man runs afoul of Illinois eavesdropping law, “A Moline man who used a cell phone to record a police officer during a Rock Island traffic stop is caught up in Illinois’ arcane eavesdropping laws. Jerry Johnson is charged with recording a police officer after he was pulled over for allegedly disobeying a traffic control device. The 35-year-old Johnson says he was recording the officer for his own protection when the officer noticed what he was doing.”

• State Journal-Register—Julie Cellini being dropped from IHPA board, “Julie Cellini, who has served on the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency board for nearly 27 years, will be replaced by Gov. Pat Quinn, a Quinn spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.”

• State Journal-Register—Editorial: Quinn’s Ag call open to question, “Sometimes it appears the Quinn administration is doing everything possible to ensure that its appointees enter the confirmation process under a cloud. The latest case in point is former state Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mt. Zion, who is Gov. Pat Quinn’s nominee to become director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.”

• State Journal-Register—Judge: City insurance committee violated Open Meetings Act, “A city health insurance committee’s decision to provide benefits to dependents of employees in civil unions was declared “null and void” Wednesday by a Sangamon County judge. The decision stems from a complaint filed by Bruce Rushton, a reporter for the Illinois Times who formerly worked for The State Journal-Register. Rushton claimed the city’s Joint Labor/Management Health Care Committee violated Illinois’ Open Meetings Act by closing its Jan. 10 meeting to the public, not keeping a verbatim record of proceedings and not citing a legal exception that would authorize a closed meeting.”

Statewide update—Feb. 15, 2012

http://bit.ly/zi8OgH

Chicago Tribune—Owe City Hall? Chicago may take it out of state tax refund, “Illinois residents who owe money to Chicago City Hall could find a hold placed on their state income tax refunds under a measure endorsed today by the City Council Budget Committee. The city hopes to collect between $8 million and $20 million in unpaid debt from parking tickets, red-light citations and city administrative hearing judgments if the full council approves the measure Wednesday.”

• State Journal-Register—Editorial: Take direct route to reform ethics laws, “If the governor believes there are shortcomings in existing ethics laws in Illinois, why doesn’t he get together with legislators and introduce bills to address them? That’s a much more direct path to reform than having to gather and vet 300,000 signatures for a referendum. We’re wary of ideas that merely give the appearance of providing action and citizen empowerment. Experience shows they too often provide little more than cover for officials wishing to avoid the difficult decisions they’re elected to make.”

• Crain’s Chicago Business—Quinn mulls executive order for health insurance exchange, “Gov. Pat Quinn is weighing whether to use an executive order to jump-start planning for Illinois’ health insurance exchange, a move that could rankle both state legislators and business groups…. State insurance exchanges, which are intended to serve as a marketplace for individuals and small businesses to buy health insurance, are a critical part of the Obama administration’s health care overhaul. Around 1.4 million Illinois residents are expected to get coverage through the exchange by 2020.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Chicago clout contractor targeted in major construction fraud case, “McHugh Construction — a 115-year-old contracting giant with billions of dollars in government and private business — is at the heart of a federal investigation into minority- and women-owned business fraud on four of the biggest government construction projects in Chicago in recent years, a federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday revealed.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—CPS brass cracking down on big payouts for sick days, “Chicago Public School officials hope to save tens of millions of dollars a year under a new sick-day policy that will be proposed next week and apparently will end excessive sick-day payouts… CPS officials issued a news release Tuesday announcing they would be proposing changes to their sick day policy for only non-union employees at the Feb. 22 School Board meeting.”

• (Illinois Statehouse News) The Southern—State campaign contribution limits challenged, “Campaign contribution limits in Illinois are being tested in federal court only a year after being enacted. Personal PAC, a political action committee that lobbies for pro-choice candidates, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the State Board of Elections. The lawsuit contends limits on giving to political action committees, or PACs, violate the First Amendment.”

• State Journal-Register—Ex-legislator Flider to get top agriculture post, “Former state Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion, will be named Wednesday director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, an official in the administration of Gov. Pat Quinn said… Flider served on the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee, was listed as a friend of agriculture by the Illinois Farm Bureau in 2006, 2008 and 2010, and the Farm Bureau named him an agriculture certified legislator in 2004.”

• (AP) Belleville News-Democrat—Madigan won’t divert mortgage deal money, “Other states may want to patch holes in their budgets with money from a nationwide mortgage settlement, but Attorney General Lisa Madigan opposes any attempt to do that in Illinois. Illinois government is getting between $100 million and $110 million from the settlement over questionable home foreclosure practices by some of the nation’s biggest banks. That’s on top of roughly $1 billion in relief that will go directly to consumers.”

• Peoria Journal Star—Illinois Attorney General to Woodford County: Take another look at FOIA request, “The Illinois Attorney General’s office wants Woodford County officials to explain how a Freedom of Information Act request would compromise security at the county courthouse.”

Statewide update—Feb. 14, 2012

http://bit.ly/xhAUdL

Chicago Tribune—Chicago voter registration lowest since 1942, “As of Monday, about 1.28 million voters were registered in the city, board spokesman James Allen said. That’s lower than in 1942, the first year such numbers are recorded in the agency’s records.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—City buys face shields to protect cops from G-8 protesters, “Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration has awarded a $193,461 emergency contract to Colorado-based Super Seer Corp. for the purchase of 3,057 new and improved shields to be used by officers on the front lines during the May 19-21 summits at McCormick Place. The contract marks the first use of the sweeping power granted to Emanuel to purchase goods and services for the summits — without City Council approval or competitive bidding — provided those items cannot be purchased under existing contracts.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Editorial: Take a new look at cost of keeping old prisoners, “The State of Illinois, crazy broke as it may be, spends more than $1.4 billion a year on prisons. A new study by Human Rights Watch reports that American prisons are fast becoming geriatric facilities, with the number of prisoners 55 and older growing at a rate six times that of the rest of the prison population. The Illinois Department of Corrections spends about $428 million a year — about a third of its budget — on older inmates…. [A] state panel, the Sentencing Policy Advisory Council, is collecting data on the issue.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Paramedics’ alleged mistakes in girl’s death likely to cost taxpayers, “Chicago taxpayers will likely spend $1.75 million to compensate the family of a 13-year-old girl who died of bronchial asthma in 2002 after a string of alleged mistakes made by Chicago Fire Department paramedics…. If not for a series of ‘mistakes’ made by the four paramedics who treated Starks on that fateful day, attorney Brian Murphy argued that the girl would be alive today.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Editorial: Merge Cook County clerk, recorder of deeds offices, “As governments struggle to balance their budgets in lean times, the rest of us are asked to sacrifice. Workers get furloughs, benefit cuts and layoffs. The public gets higher taxes, higher fees and service cuts. So we hope when Cook County commissioners meet Tuesday as a committee of the whole, and then Wednesday as a board, they’ll agree the county needs to merge some of its elected offices.”

• The News-Gazette—Caterpillar complaint should hit home, “Caterpillar fired off another complaint about Illinois’ business climate last week as part of a message that Illinois sites were out of the running for a new plant that would employ 1,400. The iconic Illinois company’s message was both a further indication of the seriousness of concerns over the state’s dreadful fiscal problems and business conditions and a warning that political leaders need to take action.”

• Daily Herald—DuPage housing scandal fallout continues with order from HUD, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says the housing authority must change the way it subsidizes two senior housing projects because of mistakes made before a series of federal audits found the Wheaton-based agency misspent or failed to account for more than $10 million.”

Voters’ Guide — 2012 Primary Elections

Something to look forward to (Photo courtesy sleepyneko/Flickr)

This March voters will gather to narrow the playing field of candidates in preparation for the November 2012 general election, which includes the much-anticipated presidential election. For answers to all of your March primary questions, check out our voters’ guide.

When are the general primary elections?
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

What offices are on the ballot for this election?
The March 20th primary elections narrow the field of party candidates for the general election in November 2012 for the following elected offices:

• President of the United States
• U.S. Congressional Representatives
• Delegates to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions
• All State Senators and State Representatives
• Judicial seats at the Supreme, Appellate, Cook Circuit/Subcircuit and Downstate Circuit/Subcircuit levels

For a full listing of candidates, click here.

Am I registered to vote?
Click here to find out if you are registered to vote. Just enter your name and zip code. If you are registered, this link will also show you your polling place.

If I’m not registered, is it too late to register to vote?
February 21st, 2012 is the last day you can register to vote. To register to vote you must be:

• 18 years old on or before March 20th
• a U.S. citizen
• a resident of Illinois

To get a copy of the form you’ll need to fill out and for other registration information, click here (PDF)

Where is my polling place?
For voting locations, enter your name and zip code here

What time are the polls open?
The polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20, 2012.

Can I vote early?
You can vote early and avoid election-day-rush at designated voting locations starting Monday, February 27, 2012 through Thursday, March 15th, 2012.

Where do I vote early?

• If you live in Chicago, click here to find early voting locations
• For all other areas, click here to find early voting locations in your home jurisdiction*

Do I need to bring an ID with me when I go to vote?
If you are voting early, you must present a government-issued photo ID (IL driver’s license, passport, etc.) at the time you cast your vote.

Who should I vote for?
The BGA is a nonpartisan organization and does not endorse any candidates. See below for a list of candidate guides from around the state:

• For election info in Cook and portions of the surrounding counties, check out the Chicago Tribune Editorial board questionnaires & endorsements
• For DeWitt, Ford, LaSalle, Livingston, Logan, Tazewell and Woodford counties, you can find a list of nominating petitions filed for the March election here
• All other counties, visit you county website or contact your local election authority here

How does redistricting impact my vote and the voting process?
Redistricting does not impact the number of election seats you’ll need to vote for, but it could impact the candidates you have the option to vote for this time around. To see how redistricting may have changed the district you are eligible to vote in, take a look at this interactive redistricted boundaries map

What happens after this primary election?
Candidates who receive the most votes within their political party during this primary election will go on to continue campaigning until the November 2012 general election.

Statewide update—Feb. 13, 2012

http://bit.ly/zumzFT

Chicago Sun-Times—Quinn supports amendment to let voters enact ethics laws by referendum, “Gov. Pat Quinn announced Sunday a proposed amendment that would allow Illinois voters to enact ethics laws through ballot referendums. The proposed amendment, sponsored by Sen. Annazette Collins (D-Chicago), would allow voters to propose ethics reforms for all state-held offices in the three branches, as well as in local governments and school districts.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Inside team Rahm: Emanuel taps best minds in country for advice, “Mayor Rahm Emanuel insists that he doesn’t have an inner circle. He actually has a bunch of them…. In some ways, Emanuel has a circle of one. The former North Side congressman-turned-White House chief of staff is often the smartest person in the room when it comes to politics, communications and policy.”

• Rockford Register Star—Millions at stake for schools with change in pension plans, “As school districts across the state contemplate how they’ll absorb teacher retirement costs if state leaders stop paying into educators’ pension plans, a Register Star analysis shows the burden here is likely to be in the tens of millions of dollars.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Editorial: Cameras belong in Supreme Court, “A bipartisan bill approved last week by the Senate Judiciary Committee, sponsored by Democrat Dick Durbin of Illinois and Republican Charles Grassley of Iowa, would require TV coverage of all of the court’s open sessions unless the justices decided by majority vote that it would violate due process rights of those before the panel. What a wonderful civics lesson this would offer every American: to watch the court’s nine justices probe and parry the law and constitutional principles, their deliberations unfiltered by reporters or transcripts.”

• Chicago Tribune—Consulting firm with ties to Mayor Rahm Emanuel bolsters education agenda by packing community groups with money, expertise, “A political consulting firm with close ties to Mayor Rahm Emanuel has funded and helped organize community groups and faith leaders on behalf of the mayor’s contentious education agenda as a counterweight to fierce opposition from the Chicago Teachers Union. Greg Goldner, who ran Emanuel’s successful 2002 bid for Congress, dedicated the skills of Resolute Consulting to write press releases for pastors, produce a video presentation and help plan events. The effort supports Emanuel’s attempts to lengthen the school day, bolster charter schools and close underperforming schools.”

• State Journal-Register—State panel seeking new head for power agency, “Illinois Power Agency acting director Arlene Juracek hopes to keep her job, but her chances may be waning after Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation recently cementing the state’s Executive Ethics Commission’s control over her agency. On Monday, Quinn signed Senate Bill 1640, which gives the commission the power to appoint acting or temporary directors of the IPA, which was created after a controversial reverse power auction of 2006 that resulted in some Ameren and Commonwealth Edison customers seeing their electric rates double or triple.”

• Chicago Tribune—Editorial: The people know Illinois is in deep trouble, “Regular citizens have a far greater sense of urgency about this state’s problems than their politicians do. We’ve been trying on this page to raise the urgency in Springfield. A state that hikes taxes and chases away job-creators and still can’t balance its books is hurtling to disaster… The people of Illinois aren’t happy. And they’re paying attention. They get it.”

Statewide update—Feb. 10, 2012

http://understandinggov.org/tag/rod-blagojevich/

Chicago Sun-Times—‘Blago Amendment’ stopping pensions for the corrupt passes U.S. House, “Illinois lawmakers including U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk and U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley, Bob Dold and Dan Lipinski got a provision into the anti-corruption legislation that passed the House of Representatives 417-2 Thursday that blocks former congressmen convicted of corruption from collecting their congressional pensions… The provision approved by the House Thursday, if ratified by the U.S. Senate and signed by President Barack Obama, will apply only to future Blagojeviches.”

• (AP) Daily Herald—Chicago to pay $6.2 million to war protesters, “The city of Chicago has hammered out a $6.2 million settlement over a class-action lawsuit that accuses police of unlawfully arresting more than 700 people during a 2003 Iraq War demonstration, attorneys announced Thursday. The case has attracted added attention for what it might say about how Chicago copes with thousands of demonstrators expected to descend on the city for G-8 and NATO summits in May.”

• State Journal-Register—Senator says she will introduce legislation on Cellini leases, “A state senator says she will introduce legislation aimed at unraveling any connections Springfield businessman and convicted felon William Cellini might have with companies that manage buildings leased by the state. At a hearing of Illinois’ Procurement Policy Board on Thursday, Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest, said state law does not require disclosure of payments made by building owners to the management companies and their overall relationships when it comes to leases tied to Cellini family companies. State law also does not require disclosure of where the money goes once the management companies receive it.”

• (AP) SouthtownStar—Report: Illinois kids caught in state ‘budget crossfire’, “Illinois children are caught in a ‘budget crossfire,’ hit hard by state budget cuts and a recession that left one in five of them living in poverty and 33,000 students homeless in 2010, a children’s advocacy organization said in a report released Thursday. The Illinois Kids Count 2012 report says the state’s budget crisis is undermining gains made for young people, with cuts to investments in early childhood education and after-school programs.”

Statewide update—Feb. 9, 2012

http://bit.ly/z3y25P

Chicago Tribune—What cops say could be taped, “Illinoisans would have permission to make audio recordings of police officers on duty and in a public place under a proposal that gained a measure of steam Wednesday. The legislation, a response to high-profile First Amendment tussles in Chicago and elsewhere, cleared a House committee following a showdown between law enforcement opponents and supporters who want the bill to become law before the G-8 and NATO summits in Chicago in May.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Editorial: CPS must learn from successful turnarounds, “Despite 20 years of reform efforts, reading scores in the city’s weakest elementary schools didn’t budge, the report by the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research found. Among African-American students, reading scores essentially were unchanged from 1990. Against that sorry backdrop, a report released Thursday offers a needed dose of encouraging news. Dramatic reforms at failing schools are starting to pay off, a new U. of C. report found.”

• Bloomington Pantagraph—Editorial: Make it easier to find info on government websites, “More local government units should follow the examples of Bloomington and Normal in making extensive information readily available on their websites. A comprehensive website is beneficial to both the public and government officials… The important thing, in the spirit of government accountability and the Freedom of Information Act, is to make information as readily and quickly available as possible. How comprehensive are the Bloomington and Normal websites? Both include not only the agendas and minutes from their council meetings but also copies of collective bargaining/labor agreements as well as specific bill payments, with the vendor and amount.”

• Illinois Times—Consolidating townships may not save money, “According to a report released this month for the Township Officials of Illinois, consolidating local governments such as townships could lead to more financial problems than it would solve… Wendell Cox, who prepared the report for TOI, said that aside from the financial aspects of consolidating townships or other forms of local government, another misconception about consolidating townships is that ‘familiarity is not important.’”