The Sentinel: Search results for pritzker

Budget plan pushes nine new taxes on Illinois tax payers worth nearly $1 billion

by Adam Schuster, Senior Director of Budget and
Tax Research
Illinois Policy

In the annual governor’s budget address on Feb. 17, Gov. J.B. Pritzker presented a $41.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2022 that holds spending flat for education as well as most state operating spending.

Pritzker was tasked with closing a $4.8 billion deficit reported in November 2020, which would have grown to $5.5 billion including a $690 million payment towards recent borrowing from the Federal Reserve.

Pritzker’s budget relies heavily on nine different tax increases, mostly targeted at businesses, to raise $932 million in revenue. In his speech and in documents from the governor’s budget office the tax increases are branded as "closing corporate tax loopholes." However, none of the exemptions or credits Pritzker is proposing to limit or eliminate can be fairly described as "loopholes." Several do not apply exclusively to corporations.

For example, one Pritzker proposal would reduce the value of a tax credit scholarship program that helps disadvantaged students afford private school education through donations from both corporations and individuals. Another of the proposals does not pertain to any type of credit or deduction, but rather reimposes the states’ arcane “corporate franchise tax,” which is scheduled to phase out through 2024 under current law. And another is a new tax on gasolines that is expected to hurt Illinois farmers and add 20 cents per gallon of diesel.

The state budget law requires the governor to propose a budget that is balanced using only revenues in law at the time the budget is proposed. That requirement was ignored in Pritzker’s first and second budget proposals, and these nine new taxes mean it is in his third budget as well.

We urge the governor to stop championing policies that will put Illinoisans on the unemployment lines

Even with these tax increases, Pritzker’s budget proposal is not truly balanced. It includes no reforms to pensions or other structural overspending that would address the state’s long-term deficit. Instead, the budget makes liberal use of budget gimmicks such as changing the timing of payments – moving some debt service back to fiscal year 2021 while pushing other payments farther into the future – and sweeping $565 million from other state accounts. Instead of going to the road fund and capital projects, Pritzker would redirect sales tax revenue from gasoline sales and cigarette tax receipts to the general fund.

Changing the timing of payments allows Pritzker to avoid counting nearly $1 billion in costs toward this year’s budget – $276 million in interfund debt service that was delayed and the $690 million federal reserve borrowing that was moved forward. However, changing the timing of payments does not improve the state’s overall financial condition. It’s an accounting shell game to make the budget appear balanced on paper.

The rest of the deficit is covered by spending freezes worth $1.27 billion and significantly more optimistic revenue assumptions compared to those the governor’s office released in November 2020. Those spending changes are not actual cuts compared to prior-year spending, but rather canceling automatic spending growth that is assumed as part of the state’s baseline budgeting method.

More optimistic revenue projections account for the largest reduction in the deficit, on paper, at $1.88 billion. The governor’s office also raised revenue projections by $2.3 billion for the current fiscal year 2021, which “closes” this year’s $3.9 billion deficit if December’s $2 billion in borrowing from the federal reserve is counted as revenue. Illinois has a history of counting debt as revenue and relying on optimistic revenue projections to cover deficits on paper, but this optimism is often wrong. That helps explain why politicians claim to pass a balanced budget each year, but the budget has not actually ended a year in the black since fiscal year 2001.

While state and local revenue collections in Illinois and across the country have been beating estimates made early in the pandemic, the November revenue projections from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget were already $2.2 billion higher than projected in April 2020. It’s unclear that economic conditions since November have changed enough to justify another large upwards revision.

All together, Pritzker’s budget proposal fails to offer the significant financial reforms needed to protect Illinois taxpayers, preserve services for the vulnerable in the long term and ensure the state has a strong recovery from COVID-19. Illinois’ personal income growth was the second worst in the nation following the Great Recession, in part because of tax hikes that hurt the recovery. Pritzker’s various proposed tax increases on businesses threaten to hold back Illinois’ ability to create good-paying jobs and grow wages for its residents as the state recovers from a pandemic-induced recession.

Lawmakers are largely expected to receive $7.5 billion in unrestricted aid for the state budget from the federal government under the $350 billion state and local bailout proposed by President Biden’s administration. This lifeline provides Illinois with breathing room to make the long-term changes necessary to stabilize state finances, starting with pension reform. The General Assembly should also use that aid to cancel all nine of the pandemic tax increases from the governor’s budget proposal.

Here are Pritzker’s nine tax increase proposals:

Cap, delay credits for business operating losses by three years: $314 million

When a company loses money in a given year, known as a net operating loss, federal and state tax laws generally allow at least some portion of that loss to be carried forward to future years as a proportional offset to future tax liability. In other words, if a business loses money in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, but earns a profit in 2022, it can deduct the two years of losses from its earnings in 2022 and pay taxes only on the difference.

For purposes of state taxes, Pritzker wants to limit losses carried forward to $100,000 for the next three years. Businesses would still be able to carry forward losses above that amount but couldn’t claim the deduction until three years from now.

This change would reduce businesses’ cash on hand to make investments in equipment, new jobs or raises for employees. It would therefore hurt Illinois’ ability to recover economically from COVID-19. Because the full value of the credits is only delayed, it has the potential to create a significant revenue drop in the future when businesses try to collect on the full value of the credits.

Delay expensing of business investments: $214 million

Illinois automatically adopts certain changes in federal tax law as part of Illinois tax law through what’s called “rolling conformity,” meaning state law points back to the Internal Revenue Code and automatically updates certain provisions to match. Pritzker wants to decouple from federal provisions intended to promote pro-growth investments.

Federal tax reform in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act included several changes intended to bolster business investments and promote economic growth. One of these changes was to allow full and immediate expensing, meaning companies can deduct the entire cost of an investment in the year it was made, rather than dragging out the expensing over the lifecycle of an asset.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act applied this concept, also called 100% bonus depreciation, to investments with a useable lifetime of 20 years or less, such as machinery and equipment. Long-term investments in buildings must still be expensed over time. The changes for short-term investments are scheduled to phase out beginning in 2022 and expire in 2026. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation has argued for making these changes permanent, because delaying deductions for investments increases the cost to businesses and discourages investments that help grow the economy.

"Stretching depreciation deductions for capital investment over time means a business can’t fully recover the cost of making the investment. This discourages businesses from making productive investments that would otherwise be worthwhile to pursue," the Tax Foundation stated.

Pritzker’s proposed change would immediately revert to the prior system of stretching out the deduction for Illinois taxes, discouraging the very investments that will help Illinois recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn.

Double-tax profits U.S. companies earn abroad: $107 million

Another aspect of federal tax reform in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was to move from a “worldwide” towards a “territorial” corporate tax system, in part to encourage companies to repatriate money held overseas. One of the most important aspects of this reform was to end double taxation on profits U.S. companies earned overseas by allowing a 100% deduction for foreign dividends paid to the parent company. Those profits would have already faced taxation in the country where the income was earned.

Pritzker proposes eliminating the credit for foreign dividends, which could discourage those profits from being repatriated and brought to Illinois if the profits would receive more favorable tax treatment overseas.

New sales tax on biodiesel gasoline: $107 million

Under current law, fuel with a biodiesel content greater than 10% or ethanol content of at least 70% is exempt from Illinois sales taxes. The exemption is scheduled to expire in 2024, but Pritzker would eliminate the credit immediately.

Illinois Fuel and Retail Association CEO Josh Sharp responded: “This change would add approximately 20 cents to a gallon of diesel fuel and is especially egregious considering that Illinois is one of only six states that already imposes a sales tax on motor fuels. Ending this incentive would also be incredibly damaging to our vital agriculture community in Illinois and hurt my small business members at a time when it’s so easy for customers to drive across state lines to fill up their vehicles.”

Limit retailers’ reimbursement for collecting state sales tax: $73 million

Retail stores in Illinois collect and remit sales tax on behalf of the state, which has an administrative cost. To reimburse retailers for this service to the state, current law allows retailers to keep 1.75% of the sales taxes they collect as compensation. Pritzker wants to limit retailers’ reimbursement to $1,000 per month.

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association said the current 1.75% amount already “only partially reimburses” store owners for their cost. The statement continued, “Shifting more of the cost of administration and collection onto retailers does nothing to support struggling businesses and indicates the governor fails to fully appreciate all that retail contributes to our state, which prior to the pandemic employed one-fifth of all workers in Illinois and served as the second largest revenue generator for state government and the largest revenue generator for local governments.”

Limit manufacturing equipment sales tax exemption: $56 million

The purchase of manufacturing machinery and equipment is generally exempt from Illinois sales taxes. In 2019, this exemption was expanded to include “tangible personal property” used in the manufacturing process, such as fuels, coolants and oil consumed in the manufacturing process. Pritzker is proposing to reverse that recent change.

According to the Sales Tax Institute, the expansion brought Illinois’ manufacturing credits more in line with nearby states.

Illinois’ manufacturing industry has consistently lagged other Midwest states since the Great Recession. Even before COVID-19, Illinois lost 13,100 manufacturing jobs in 2019 – the largest percentage loss of any job sector.

Steve Rauschenberger, president of the Technology and Manufacturing Association, singled out the elimination of this expanded exemption in his reaction to Pritzker’s budget proposal. "We urge the governor to stop championing policies that will put Illinoisans on the unemployment lines and force our job creators and innovators to leave our state to survive," Rauschenberger said.

Cancel phase-out of costly corporate franchise tax: $30 million

Only 16 states still have "capital stock taxes" which tax businesses on their net worth regardless of whether the business is profitable, according to the Tax Foundation. "These taxes impair economic growth in the best of times, but during an economic contraction they are particularly harmful to businesses struggling to remain viable," the Tax Foundation said.

Illinois confusingly refers to its capital stock tax as the “corporate franchise tax,” even though it has nothing to do with franchise businesses. Complying with the tax law is complicated and comes with high compliance costs that are particularly difficult for smaller businesses to manage. The cost of complying with the tax is more than many businesses owe to the state.

The tax was scheduled to phase out over four years before being fully eliminated in 2024 under a law passed in 2019.

Though Pritzker touted the elimination of this tax as an accomplishment of his first year, he is now proposing to reverse the change.

Eliminate credit for creating construction jobs: $16 million

The Blue Collar Jobs Act passed in 2019 created new tax credits to incentivize the creation of construction jobs. Eligible businesses would be able to take a credit worth 50% of the new payroll taxes withheld as the result of a construction job created. That credit rose to 75% if the job was created in an economically distressed area.

Reduce tax scholarship credit for disadvantaged students: $14 million

State lawmakers passed the Invest in Kids Act in 2017 as part of an overhaul of the education funding formula. The program is the state’s first-ever school choice program, and among the largest in the nation. It gives disadvantaged students a chance to go to private schools by giving scholarship donors a 75% tax credit for their donation towards state taxes, incentivizing those donations.

Only students within 300% of the federal poverty line are eligible for the scholarships, and the neediest students are prioritized first.

Pritzker wants to reduce the value of the credit to 40%, which would inevitably mean fewer scholarships available for low-income students.

Empower Illinois, a non-profit that helps match students with scholarships and the appropriate school, responded: "During this challenging time, kids need more quality education options, not fewer. And while Illinois’ financial challenges are significant, the State should not balance its budget on the backs of children from low-income and working-class communities or the schools that serve them so well."

Adam Schuster is the Senior Director of Budget and Tax Research at the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization that promotes responsible government and free market principles. This story was originally published on February 24, 2021.

Letter to the Editor | Pritzker back grandstanding for media attention

Dear Editor,

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is back grandstanding for the news media, complaining about the immigration crisis trickling up to Illinois.

In October, Pritzker sent an open letter to President Biden begging for federal tax resources to deal with the so-called “asylum seekers” being bussed to Illinois. Not once in his appeal did Pritzker ask the administration to shut down the border or reinstate the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy of the Trump Administration.

This month, Pritzker paid the Austin American-Statesman newspaper to publish another open letter, this one addressed to Texas Governor Greg Abbot. Referencing the freezing temperatures of a typical Illinois winter, Pritzker pleads for mercy, pointing out that many lives are vulnerable to the cold weather.

Ironically, not one word was written to Biden about the critical need to secure the border. Wouldn’t it be nice to see an open letter in the USA Today in which Pritzker could appeal to the Biden Administration for serious enforcement?

And while Pritzker laments the lives at stake because of the season’s “dangerous winter storm and subzero temperatures,” there is not one mention of the tens of thousands of American lives being destroyed by fentanyl and other deadly drugs flowing into our cities.

If Gov. Pritzker were serious about this crisis, he’d speak out about the dangers of open borders and the failure of the executive branch to uphold federal immigration laws to protect the citizens of this great nation.

David E. Smith, Executive Director
Illinois Family Institute

ViewPoint | Lying isn't leadership

Op-Ed by Darren Bailey

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's lie about taking politics out of reapportionment and pushing "fair and independent maps" wouldn't be so shocking if he hadn't said it so often and with such conviction and sincerity.

All through his 2018 campaign for governor, Pritzker said he supported an amendment to the state Constitution to take congressional map-drawing out of the hands of state legislators and into those of an independent commission.

He went so far as to say he'd veto legislative maps, "in any way drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies." Instead, he said, he would hand it over to an independent panel.

This is not some new, untried experiment. Neighboring Missouri has instituted an independent map-drawing commission, and so have Michigan, Colorado, and Utah.

With Pritzker facing reelection next year, though, it appears he's willing to allow his Democratic allies in the legislature one last go at picking their voters by drawing Republicans into concentrated and ludicrously configured districts.

"We need a governor who keeps his promises."

Lying isn't leadership. And J.B. Pritzker has broken his word more often than he spends his money to buy elections.

Last week, Pritzker said he "trusted" the Democrats in the House and Senate to send him a fair map.

"I look to the Legislature for their proposal," Pritzker said. "I'll be looking to it for its fairness."

The governor might want to invest in a microscope because he's going to have to look hard.

This is Illinois, a state where corruption and cynicism compete with one another as the political class builds its power base and their special-interest handlers line their pockets.

Let me be clear. I'm a conservative Republican. But I also know that there are some things bigger than politics – things like honesty, transparency, and fair play.

I'm committed to seeing an end to the inside-dealing that has dominated our redistricting process. Voters should pick their elected officials, not the other way around. That's why, as governor, I'll use the bully pulpit to reform the system by which we draw our districts.

Illinoisans deserve better than the current, worn-out system.

We were asked, by this very governor, to expect better. And it was all a lie.

Pritzker will argue that a constitutional amendment is absolutely necessary to take politics out of partisan hands and into those of a bi-partisan, or even non-partisan, commission. He should read his state's Constitution.

While the law assigns the power to redistrict to the legislature, it does not prohibit them from assigning the work of map-drawing to a less-partisan body. The legislature's job is to enact the maps.

And remember the governor's pledge to veto any partisan plan?

The Constitution provides for a commission, appointed by the legislature, to handle the task. And if that commission deadlocks, there's even language providing for the Supreme Court to pick a ninth member – by lottery if need be – to break deadlocks.

Let's not forget that after each of the past four censuses, the legislature proved itself unable to come up with a plan for new districts. As ever, it ended up in the courts because hardline partisans showed themselves incapable of governing legislatively.

We need a commission. And we need a governor who keeps his promises.

That doesn't sound like much, and it's far from perfect. Still, it's considerably better than the unpalatable task before us now that J.B. Pritzker has broken his word and made this process about partisan politics instead of how we can best provide Illinoisans the representation they deserve.

Darren Bailey, currently the Representative from the 109th District, is a Republican candidate for the 2022 Illinois gubernatorial election.

Northern Illinois restaurant gets TRO to remain open despite Governor's orders

by Joe Tabor, Senior Policy Analyst
Illinois Policy

FoxFire restaurant can stay open while the challenge to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s exercise of emergency powers works its way through the courts, a Kane County judge has ruled.

On Oct. 26, Judge Kevin Busch granted the Geneva, Illinois, steakhouse’s request for a temporary restraining order against Pritzker’s Executive Order 2020-61, specifically as it relates to FoxFire’s ability to conduct indoor dining. The judge barred the governor, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Kane County Health Department from enforcing the order.

The order applies only to FoxFire and allows the restaurant to operate with indoor seating until the next hearing, or until the state appeals the ruling. FoxFire’s petition for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction argued that all of Pritzker’s COVID-19 subsequent disaster proclamations after the initial March 9 proclamation were invalid. That first proclamation expired on April 7.

Pritzker’s authority to issue executive orders limiting the operation of restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic comes from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. The Act limits the exercise of emergency powers to 30 days after the governor has issued a disaster proclamation, but Pritzker has continuously issued new proclamations to extend the timespan of his emergency powers to almost 250 days so far. The Act itself is silent as to whether Pritzker can extend his emergency powers indefinitely, and the governor’s actions have met numerous legal challenges as well as criticism.

The General Assembly could resolve these questions with legislation, but has so far declined, leaving Illinois to be governed by a series of executive orders when it comes to the state’s COVID-19 response. As it stands, these challenges will work their way through the court system.

The governor is expected to appeal the ruling in favor of the Geneva restaurant, but for now, FoxFire is the only restaurant in its region legally open to indoor dining.

Restrictions were reimposed Oct. 28 on the Metro East region and will be imposed Oct. 30 in Chicago, leading to a public debate between Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot over the need to again close bars and restaurants to indoor operations.

Half of the counties in Illinois are at a warning level for COVID-19 positivity, with the statewide 7-day average at 6.7% on Oct. 28. Of the 11 regions designated for COVID-19 restrictions, six have a positive test rate of at least 8%.

As many as 21,700 Illinois restaurants and food establishments could permanently be shuttered as a result of the pandemic and repeated closure orders.

The Illinois Restaurant Association is also looking at legal remedies, President and CEO Sam Toia told Crain’s Chicago Business. He said many in the industry feel they are being unfairly singled out, and that the restrictions used at the pandemic’s start are no longer helpful or effective.

"The science surrounding COVID-19 has evolved," Toia said. "So must the metrics for mitigation."

Originally published by Illinois Policy on October 28, 2020. Published by permission.

State Representative takes issue with the Governor prison releases

One State Representative believes the Governor’s pattern of decisions surrounding the state’s prison system is a threat to public safety in Illinois. State Representative Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), who has recently made headlines by way of two lawsuits in Clay County aimed at the state's top leader, isn't happy with a couple of decision made Governor JB Pritzker about the state's prison population.

"The latest decision by the Governor to release one of the inmates involved in the murder of Illinois State Trooper Layton Davis is appalling," said Bailey (R-Xenia) in a statement delivered to the media. "I was with the Davis family on August 10 when they publicly pleaded with Gov. Pritzker not to release convicted killers James E. Taylor and Aaron Hyche.

Taylor and Hyche were in a vehicle when Davis, who was with Illinois State police for 19 years and assigned to District 12, performed a routine traffic stop for speeding on Interstate-57 near Effingham. An arrest warrant for Taylor had been issued in Cook County after he failed to appear for sentencing on convictions for attempt murder and attempt armed robbery.

Upon learning of the outstanding warrant, Davis attempted to take both men into custody. During his pat-down with the two passengers, the WWII veteran discovered at firearm tucked into Hyche's waistband. A struggle ensued resulting in Davis' death after he was wounded three times.

The pair were later captured, tried and sentenced to life.

Earlier this month, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board paroled Taylor with eight members in favor and five against. Eight is the minimum number of votes needed for parole. Due to firing the fatal shots, the board rejected Hyche's request with 11 members voting against him and two in favor.

"While only Taylor has been released at this time, I wonder how long before Hyche will be set free?" Bailey said. He added: "Davis lost his life that day protecting the people of Illinois, and his wife and three children were left without a husband and father. Taylor and Hyche were given sentences commensurate with their heinous act. They should complete those sentences in full. The Davis family isn’t getting a reprieve from their life-long pain and loss."

Bailey, who has sued Pritzker and his administration in his home district over the Governor's use of Executive Orders during the pandemic the five months, also takes issue with the Governor for other decisions involving prison inmates.

Bailey stated in his release that "Pritzker has okayed the release of more than 4,000 inmates since March 1", citing a report from WAND-TV as well as the Alton Telegraph.

However, according to Restore Justice, only 1,222 prisoners were released due concerns over the rising level of COVID-19 infections in the Illinois prisons. As of June 1, IDOC has released 5,637 individuals with majority of them serving the entire sentence.

While an Appellate Court recently ruling that Pritzker indeed has the ultimate power to set policy regarding inmate transfers, another point of contention from Bailey is the lack of cooperation and consideration for the safety of local communities. He said level has been "unacceptable".

He also takes to task a Pritzker directive ordering sheriffs not to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when illegal immigrants completed their felony prison sentences and were being released. Criticized by the Illinois Sheriffs Association, the organization made it clear the Governor's policies are making their communities less safe.

"Sadly, the Illinois Sheriffs Association has had their hands full, not just trying to protect the people whose safety is their primary responsibility, but also because they’ve had to battle the Governor on policies that harm public safety," said Bailey. "Pritzker is also being sued by the Sheriffs Association because of the state’s failure to take custody of inmates, currently in local jails, but who received state prison sentences."

Pritzker says state has reached a "critical juncture"

On Tuesday, Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker ordered state agencies to identify areas of their 2020 budgets that can be cut by 5% as well as 10% cuts that can be made in their spending plans for the next fiscal year should Congress fail to provide additional COVID-19 relief funds.

"Any cut to the Illinois state budget is a win for taxpayers," said Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA). "However, a broad cut to the state budget is not enough."

Tobin says the state of Illinois’s financial woes are due to the vast amount it spends on lavish, overpromised retired government employee pensions.

"This is why Pritzker is really cutting the budget, he wants to divert pay from current Illinois government employees to retired Illinois government employees," Tobin said in a release this morning. "Every year former Illinois government employees eat up even more of the state’s budget.

In fact, the primary motivation for a $5 billion state income tax hike that passed a few years ago was to transfer wealth from taxpayers to the black hole that is the Illinois pension funds."

Pritzker calls the current state's budget woes a "nightmare scenario".

We've reached a critical juncture for our own state finances in this COVID induced financial crisis," he said during his press conference in Chicago.

In June, Pritzker signed off on $43 billion dollar budget that began July 1 relied heavily on federal aid and borrowing to fill revenue shortfalls due to the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown.

A memo from Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes and budget director Alexis Sturm to agency directors stated the state's current budget "is only affordable in its current form with federal support to bridge the pandemic-related shortfalls and that now appears not to be forthcoming."

Illinois stands to lose out on $6.5 billion in revenue this year and next year. Agency heads were given until Oct. 2 to outline their reductions for the current year. This includes taking necessary measures from hiring freezes to renegotiating on any planned spending commitments.

Tobin points out that governor's Illinois progressive income tax is purely a move to raise taxes.

"Pritzker’s income tax increase amendment, better described as an income theft amendment, is not what Illinois needs," he wrote. "Illinois taxpayers should vote no on November 3rd to the proposed amendment change, and demand Pritzker to cut spending further."

We have an obligation to our heroes

Op-Ed by Darren Bailey

More than two dozen Illinois veterans residing at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home have died from COVID-19. If this seems familiar, you are correct. We’ve been down this road before.

"The obligation we have to these heroes and to their families is sacred and to have that obligation so thoroughly neglected is an unconscionable moral failing. This is incompetence. It is gross mismanagement. This is what happens when a governor refuses to take charge."

This statement isn’t being made by me. It was made more than two years ago by J.B. Pritzker, who was commenting about then-Governor Bruce Rauner and the Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak at the Quincy Veterans’ Home.

To date, 30 veterans have died due to the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home, with 89 percent of the residents infected. Apparently, state government hasn’t learned its lesson.

We have a moral obligation to our veterans and Governor Pritzker is failing to live up to that obligation. As J. B. previously pointed out, the buck stops at the Governor’s office.

Sentinel Op-Ed A recent report by the U.S. The Department of Veterans Affairs, cited by the online news site The Center Square, indicated the home’s problems included ventilation problems, ineffective hand sanitizer and a Halloween party staff reportedly attended. Where were Governor’s Pritzker’s mitigation rules?

According to media reports, staff who showed positive virus test results were also allowed to work in the home’s COVID wing. It’s also been reported, it took 12 days before the Illinois Department of Public Health responded to the LaSalle Veterans’ Home outbreak. Another media report by the Associated Press indicated the outbreak first began in late October when one staff member and a resident tested positive for COVID.

Given past experience with Legionnaire’s Disease, how quickly it spread at the Quincy Veterans Home, and the rapid increase in the number of positive COVID cases statewide, state government should have been on red alert.

In fact, it was known by late May that half of the COVID deaths were in nursing homes. If these congregate living arrangements would have been a priority, the elderly vets at LaSalle Veterans’ Home could have been better protected.

I join my legislative colleagues, Senators Sue Rezin whose district is home to the LaSalle Veterans’ Home and Paul Schimpf a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War, who are calling for additional legislative hearings to get to the bottom of this crisis that threatens the lives of our heroes. Lessons learned could help protect other Illinoisans at nursing homes around the state.

Our veterans deserve better than the failed leadership Pritzker has showed. Real leadership is more than just lecturing people, it is about real results.

"After fatally mismanaging the Quincy Veterans’ Home, @BruceRauner is letting persistent health issues jeopardize the wellbeing of our nation’s heroes. This is a shameful display of failed leadership." – J.B. Pritzker, March 30, 2018, Twitter

Governor Pritzker is bold enough to hand out advice, following it is apparently a different challenge.

Darren Bailey is an Illinois State Representative from the 109th District.

Governor Pritzker pushes state income tax filing date to July 15

Ben Szalinski, Illinois Policy

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced at his daily press conference on March 25 that July 15 will be the new deadline for Illinoisans to file state income taxes. The change comes five days after the same move was made by the federal government, which also pushed the deadline to July 15.

Pritzker said refunds are still being processed and distributed for those who have already filed taxes. Additionally, the state is allowing restaurants and bars extra time to pay their sales taxes. Other things such as evictions and utility shutoffs for late payments have also been suspended by executive order.

Pritzker said delaying the filing deadline will help soften the immediate economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor instituted a stay-at-home order that started March 21 that will last at least through April 7. All non-essential employees are to stay home and non-essential travel should be limited. On March 16, all restaurants and bars were closed to dine-in customers, but allowed to remain open for drive-through and take-out service.

The closure of businesses is leading to severe economic losses and a rise in unemployment. Between March 16 and 18, unemployment claims in Illinois rose by 64,000. After new social distancing measures were introduced, the number was expected to rise higher. Nationally, some experts believe unemployment may hit an unprecedented 30% in the second quarter.

While the numbers paint a grim economic future, it is important to note many of those seeking unemployment will be able to return to their jobs when social distancing orders are lifted. The current unemployment count does include furloughed workers.

In addition to putting off the day Illinoisans must pay taxes, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is suspending collection of traffic fees until April 30 to ease the economic burden on residents. Drivers will not immediately have to pay for late parking tickets, towing fees or red-light camera tickets. The city will also suspend its “booting” system.

Illinois currently has 1,865 cases of coronavirus with 19 deaths. The number of cases rose by 330 on March 25, the same day Pritzker announced the delayed tax deadline. Thirty-five counties have reported cases across all ages.

The economic impact of the virus is expected to be staggering in Illinois. The Illinois Policy Institute put together a report detailing what the state must do now to prepare for the fallout from the halt in economic activity, including a commercial property tax holiday and pension reform to preserve needed revenues.

Originally published by Illinois Policy on March 25, 2020. Published by permission.

Letter to the Editor |
Pritzker can't call the kettle black

Dear Editor,

During his recent budget address, Gov. JB Pritzker pretentiously proclaimed, "We don’t have kings in America – and I don’t intend to bend the knee to one," referring to President Trump. '

Ironic when you consider it was Pritzker who issued at least 41 consecutive disaster proclamations related to COVID-19 between 2020 and 2023, and over 100 specific executive orders tied to the pandemic. These orders included stay-at-home mandates, school and business closures, mask requirements, and vaccination mandates for certain workers.

Pritzker’s unilateral rule in Illinois disqualifies him from making public complaints about kings, fascists, and tyrants in America.

Moreover, his repeated attempts to redefine and paint political opponents as “Nazis” is getting very old.

Pritzker and his allies want the public to believe that “Nazis” are on the right side of the political spectrum. They are being deceitful. The National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazi) was organized to advance socialism. They advocated big government policies, putting them on the left side of the political spectrum. Think "Medicare for all," "universal Pre-K," and "universal free college," among others. Sound familiar?

The governor doth protest too much, methinks.

David E. Smith, Executive Director
Illinois Family Institute

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Two weeks of executive orders issued by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in response to the Coronavirus pandemic

By Joe Tabor, Illinois Policy

In the last two weeks, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued a series of executive orders in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Illinois.

These executive orders have limited the size of public gatherings, suspended enforcement of certain laws and agency operations, and closed schools and nonessential businesses in an effort to slow the spread of the virus and prevent the state’s health care system from being inundated with severely ill patients. The governors of New York, California, and Ohio have issued similar executive orders.

But where do those executive powers come from? And what is or isn’t allowed?

While the federal government is a government of enumerated powers – it can only exercise the powers specifically granted to it by the U.S. Constitution – state governments retain what is known as “police powers” to protect the welfare, safety and health of their residents, in keeping with the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

This system means that states have more flexibility to act without running up against constitutional barriers. It also means states, not the federal government, have the power to tighten or loosen the restrictions ordered by state governors.

The governor’s authority to issue the recent series of COVID-19 executive orders comes from Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. In the case of a disaster such as a viral epidemic, the governor can issue a proclamation declaring that disaster, allowing him to exercise the emergency powers authorized in the act for a period of up to 30 days. State and local police can work together to enforce orders given under these emergency powers.

Pritzker declared a statewide disaster on March 9, triggering his emergency powers. He began issuing a series of executive orders a few days later.

Pritzker’s emergency powers include but are not limited to the following, which have been cited in the governor’s orders thus far:

To suspend any provisions of regulatory statute that would prevent, hinder or delay necessary action by the state or state agencies.

To utilize all available resources of the state government reasonably necessary to cope with the disaster.

To redirect state departments or agencies toward disaster response purposes.

To control the movement of persons and occupancy of premises within the disaster area.

To provide temporary emergency housing.

To control, restrict, and regulate the use, sale, or distribution of food, feed, fuel, clothing and other commodities, materials, goods, or services.

Pritzker is not the first Illinois governor to invoke the Emergency Management Agency Act. For example, former Gov. George Ryan twice made use of the provisions of Section 9 that allowed him to transfer money to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency after a tornado hit Centralia, Illinois, in 2002.

Here is a timeline of Pritzker’s executive orders so far:

March 12:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 1:

Extends the application deadlines for cannabis growers, infusers, and transporters to March 30, 2020

March 13:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 2:

Cancels all public and private gatherings of 1,000 people or more

Closes the Thompson Center to the general public

Suspends the two-year continuous service requirement for state employees to receive advancement of sick leave

COVID-19 Executive Order No. 3:

Closes all public and private K-12 schools through March 30

Suspends definition of student “chronic absences” so that it will not include absences due to COVID-19 closures and absences

Suspends the requirement that school districts gain approval for the implementation of e-learning programs

March 15:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 4:

Clarifies that the closure of schools does not close the buildings for food provision or noneducational purposes like polling places

March 16:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 5:

All bars and restaurants must cease all on-premises consumption through March 30 (later extended)

Prohibits all public and private gatherings of 50 people or more

Suspends one-week waiting period for unemployment claims

Suspends Open Meetings Act requirement that members of a public body must be physically present. Encourages postponing official government business when possible, and when conducting government business can’t be postponed, making video and phone access available to the public

March 17:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 6:

Suspends expiration of vehicle registration, driver’s licenses, parking decals, state ID cards and related proceedings

Suspends filing requirements for statements of economic interest by certain public officials and state employees under governmental ethics laws

March 19:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 7:

Mandates health insurance issuers regulated by the Department of Insurance cover the costs of in-network telehealth services

March 20:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 8:
Orders residents to stay at home, barring exceptions such as essential travel for essential work or supplies, exercise and recreation, through April 7.

Defines essential businesses, operations and government functions that are exempt from the order

Reduces allowable public and private gathering size to no more than 10 people

Orders all law enforcement officers to cease enforcing eviction orders for residential premises

March 23:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 9:

Suspends requirement that Department of Corrections provide relevant state’s attorney’s office 14 days’ notice before an inmate receives an early release for good conduct and replaces with requirement that notice be provided as far in advance as possible or as quickly as possible

Makes several minor revisions, clarifications or additions to previous executive orders

March 24:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 10:

Suspends prohibition on hiring nursing assistants who are inactive on the Healthcare Worker Registry if they meet certain criteria

Extends the conditional employment period for nurse assistants pending fingerprinting/criminal background check

Suspends provision requiring 30-day written notice from the Department of Juvenile Justice before a youth inmates target release date and replaces with requirement that the department notify the state’s attorney’s office of release dates with as much advance notice as possible or as quickly as possible

Suspends requirement that Miners’ Examining Board hold an exam once every month

March 26: COVID-19 Executive Order No. 11:

Suspends all admissions to the Illinois Department of Corrections from all Illinois county jails, with exceptions at the sole discretion of the Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections for limited essential transfers

COVID-19 Executive Order No. 12:

Allows two-way audio-video communication to satisfy the requirement that a person must “appear” before a Notary Public

Allows any act of witnessing required by Illinois law may be completed remotely by via two-way audio-video communication if the communication meets certain requirements

Allows all legal documents to be signed in counterparts by witnesses and signatory absent an express prohibition, and sets out specific procedures when the signing requires a Notary Public

March 27:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 13:

Suspends requirements on the administration of assessments, school terms, and the calculation of daily pupil attendance

Allows ISBE to implement rules regarding remote learning

Permits the use of early childhood block grant funding to provide child care for children of employees performing essential work

Any bids received by a school district for construction purposes may be communicated and accepted electronically

March 28:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 14:

Suspends provisions of the vehicle code regarding repossession of vehicles

Allows training for Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprinting Vendor, and Locksmith Acts to be completed through online instruction COVID-19 Executive Order No. 15:

Further Extends the deadlines for previously extended cannabis-related licenses to April 30

Directs Department of Agriculture to accept all craft grower, infuser, and transporter license applications post-marked on or before April 30, 2020 via certified US Mail

April 1:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 16:

Extends previous executive orders to last until April 30

COVID-19 Executive Order No. 17:

Directs that elective surgeries be cancelled or postponed

Protects health care facilities, professionals, and volunteers from from civil liability for any injury or death alleged, unless caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct

April 6:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 18:

Allows a verbal attestation documented by the State constitutes a valid signature for applications for public assistance, rather than requiring an audio recording

Allows unsigned applications for public assistance received by mail to be signed by a verbal attestation by telephone

COVID-19 Executive Order No. 19:

Suspends the 14-day limit for inmate furloughs

Allows furloughs for medical, psychiatric or psychological purposes

April 7:
COVID-19 Executive Order No. 20:

Suspends date requirements for township annual meetings

Suspends license renewal limits for funeral director and embalmer interns

Suspends supervision requirement for funeral director interns when transporting bodies to a cemetery, crematory, or final place of disposition

Permits persons in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services who are 18 or older to remain in their placement

Suspends the requirement for healthcare workers that designated students, applicants, and employees must have their fingerprints collected electronically and transmitted to the Illinois Department of State Police within 10 working days, provided that they are transmitted within 30 working days of enrollment in a CNA training program or the start of employment

Originally published by Illinois Policy on April 9, 2020. Published by permission.

Governor okays the opening of non-essential businesses, many can reopen on May 1

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced today that he will extend the state's stay-at-home order set to expire on April 30 until the end of May. The extension did however come with a relaxation in a few restrictions.

"Make no mistake, Illinois has saved lives. By staying home and social distancing, we have kept our infection and death rates for the months of March and April thousands below the rates projected had we not implemented these mitigation strategies," Gov. Pritzker said.

The number of confirmed cases in Champaign County is at an even 100 patients. Seventy-nine people have recovered and five members of the community have died as a result of the CV-19 virus. As of today the Champaign-Urbana Public Health reports there are 16 active cases in the community.

"I know how badly we all want our normal lives back. But this is the part where we have to dig in and understand that the sacrifices we’ve made as a state to avoid a worst-case scenario are working — and we need to keep going a little while longer to finish the job," Gov. Pritzker said in his briefing today.

"If we lifted the stay at home order tomorrow, we would see our deaths per day shoot up into the thousands by the end of May. And, that would last well into the summer."

The modified order includes increased flexibility for residents and non-essential businesses, and will require face coverings to be worn while in public. According to a statement from Gov. Pritzker, the new executive order will include more flexibility provisions for many non-essential businesses to get back on their feet.

Here are some of the changes:

OUTDOOR RECREATION: State parks will begin a phased re-opening under guidance from the Department of Natural Resources. Fishing and boating in groups of no more than two people will be permitted. A list of parks that will be open on May 1 and additional guidelines can be found on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website HERE. Golf will be permitted under strict safety guidelines provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and when ensuring that social distancing is followed.

NEW ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES: Greenhouses, garden centers and nurseries may re-open as essential businesses. These stores must follow social distancing requirements and must require that employees and customers wear a face covering. Animal grooming services may also re-open.

NON-ESSENTIAL RETAIL: Retail stores not designated as non-essential businesses and operations may re-open to fulfill telephone and online orders through pick-up outside the store and delivery.

FACE COVERINGS: Beginning on May 1, individuals will be required to wear a face-covering or a mask when in a public place where they can't maintain a six-foot social distance. Face-coverings will be required in public indoor spaces, such as stores. This new requirement applies to all individuals over the age of two who are able to medically tolerate a face-covering or a mask.

ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES AND MANUFACTURING: Essential businesses and manufacturers will be required to provide face-coverings to all employees who are not able to maintain six-feet of social distancing, as well as follow new requirements that maximize social distancing and prioritize the well-being of employees and customers. This will include occupancy limits for essential businesses and precautions such as staggering shifts and operating only essential lines for manufacturers.

SCHOOLS: Educational institutions may allow and establish procedures for pick-up of necessary supplies or student belongings. Dormitory move-outs must follow public health guidelines, including social distancing.

Statewide, Illinois reported 1,826 new cases and another 123 deaths from coronavirus today. There have been 36,934 patients who have tested positive for coronavirus in Illinois, including 1,688 lives lost due the viral infection.

Illinois governor moves to slash cover crop funds despite rising demand

by Jennifer Bamberg
Investigate Midwest

When Steve Stierwalt studied agriculture at the University of Illinois in the 1970s, soil health wasn’t commonly taught or discussed. Faculty often told their young farming students to put all their faith in commercial fertilizers.

But over his 40 years as a corn and soybean farmer in Champaign County, Stierwalt said soil erosion, which can cause fertilizer and manure runoff to end up in nearby rivers and streams, has become an increasingly serious problem.

“When we plowed, we plowed pretty much everything,” except for a row near the fence line, Stierwalt said. “The grass near the fence row kept getting taller, it seemed to me. I came to understand that it wasn’t the fence row getting taller, it was the soil in the fields that was getting shorter.”

In the early 2010s, Stierwalt started experimenting with cover crops, which can help hold soil in place and reduce runoff pollution.

“This valuable resource that we take for granted, we were letting it get away,” Stierwalt said. “We have some of the best soil in the world here, and we have to protect it.”

Six years ago, Illinois became the second state in the nation to offer subsidies to farmers for planting cover crops in the fall, an effort to reverse its status as one of the worst states for agriculture runoff. Demand for the Fall Cover for Spring Savings program — which offers a $5 per acre discount on the following year’s crop insurance premiums — has outpaced state funding every year since.

However, despite the program’s popularity and calls from environmentalists and farmers for its funding to increase, Gov. JB Pritzker has proposed a 31% funding cut.

Pritzker, a Democrat, recently proposed an overall $2 billion increase to next year’s state budget. But he also recommended cuts to several programs, including reducing the cover crop insurance credit budget from $960,000 to $660,000.

Pritzker’s office did not respond to a request for comment but the governor referenced program cuts in a recent address.

Kristopher Reynolds, Midwest Director for American Farmland Trust and a fifth generation farmer in Nokomis, is pictured at the Illinois State Capitol on March 12, 2025. He works with farmers and landowners on conservation cropping practices to meet the goals of Illinois’ Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.

“I have made difficult decisions — including to programs I have championed, which is hard for me,” Pritzker said during his State of the State and budget address in February.

Two state lawmakers introduced bills this legislative session to increase the program’s annual funding to $6.1 million. They say it's crucial to support the practice, which will benefit communities in Illinois and beyond.

It's an investment because you know you're doing right by the environment. You know you're doing right by your land, and long term, you're going to build your soil health, and that will impact your bottom line.

Ed Dubrick
small pasture poultry farmer
Cissna Park Illinois

The bills did not clear a recent committee deadline. However, lawmakers can still negotiate funding for the program as they continue to work to pass a budget by the end of May.

Illinois is one of the leading states for farm fertilizer runoff and one of the top contributors to the Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone, a barren area of around 4,500 square miles of coastal waters deadly to fish, shrimp and other marine life. It costs the region’s fishing and tourism industry millions annually.

Runoff from Illinois farms has only worsened, according to a 2023 state study. Between 2017 and 2021, average nitrate-nitrogen loads increased by 4.8%, and total phosphorus loads increased by 35%, compared to the 1980-1996 baseline.

Nutrient levels were highest between 2016 and 2020 before declining slightly. The improvement was attributed to regulatory permits on wastewater treatment plants, which also pollute waterways.

However, nitrate levels remain well above the state’s reduction goals.

Less than 6% of Illinois farmland uses cover crops

The soil in Illinois is famously fertile and much of the land is flat. The soil isn’t highly erodible like soil on a slope or a hill might be. But when fields are left bare after harvest, the soil can easily blow away in the wind or wash away in storms, depositing fertilizers and chemicals into waterways.

Cover crops, which include winter wheat, crimson clover, cereal rye, oats or radish, are planted after harvest and before winter. The crops can reduce soil erosion, break up compacted soil, provide a habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife, and prevent latent fertilizer from leaching into rivers and streams.

Since the Fall Cover for Spring Savings program began in 2019, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has received more applications than the program can fund.

This year, the program sold out in two hours.

Under current funding levels, only 200,000 acres are available, which advocates say is too small.

“At the rate conservation is being invested in right now for agriculture, it would take 200 years to hit the goals under the Nutrient Reduction Strategy. And that’s assuming … there would be new adopters,” said Eliot Clay, executive director of the statewide Association of Soil and Water Conservation District.

The Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) is a statewide, multi-agency effort to reduce the amount of nutrients in Illinois waterways and the Gulf of Mexico. The policy working group’s latest report, produced in 2023, found that to meet just half of its goals of reducing runoff, nearly all of Illinois’ corn and soybean farmers would need to adopt cover crops.

“It doesn’t mean the state won’t meet the goal,” a spokesperson for the NLRS team at University of Illinois Extension said in an emailed statement to Investigate Midwest. “There is quite a bit of variability of riverine nutrient loads at watershed scales for nitrogen and phosphorus.”

However, the spokesperson added that more research, data acquisition, and planning are needed at watershed scales.

Out of the state’s 26.3 million acres of farmland, an estimated 3% to 6% grew cover crops in 2022, according to USDA data.

Kristopher Reynolds, Midwest director for American Farmland Trust and a fifth-generation farmer in Nokomis, said Illinois needs to see cover crop adoption of at least 15% and more state and federal incentives are needed.

The Gulf Hypoxia Task Force, a federally funded program through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has provided additional funding to supplement the cover crop program. However, the Trump administration’s freeze of some federal grants might put those funds at risk.

Earlier this year, the Illinois Department of Agriculture was awarded a $25 million grant from the EPA to support conservation practices for the next three years.

“We don't know the status (of the grant),” said Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, while speaking to the House Appropriations Committee on March 12. “Last that we've heard, things looked good. But that's been a while."

“We've got two and a half months left in this process in Illinois, right?” added Costello, citing the time the state has to finalize its 2026 budget, which begins in July 2025. “Two and a half months plus or minus. So surely we'll have some guidance … we certainly hope so.”

Because of the sheer scale of the agriculture industry, government regulations requiring conservation practices can be difficult to carry out, said Clay, the executive director of the Soil and Water Conservation District.

Farmland covers 75% of the entire state of Illinois, and even if all farmers employed precision sensors to track runoff points, it would cost billions, Clay said.

There would also need to be an army of workers to track and enforce regulations.

However, “industry self-regulating usually doesn't work, and it hasn't worked in ag, because that's basically what they've been doing for the most part,” Clay said. What’s needed, he added, is more public-private partnerships.

Stierwalt, the farmer in Champaign County, helped develop STAR, or Saving Tomorrow’s Agricultural Resources, which gives farmers a five-star score based on their conservation practices.

The state adopted the framework in 2023 to support the state's nutrient loss reduction goals.

Stierwalt said the ultimate goal is to get companies to purchase agricultural commodities based on the rating system.

If the public and industries that rely on agricultural goods for ethanol or food products want sustainably raised crops, then the farmers will grow them, he said.

Cover crop barriers include both cost and culture

Cover crops have long-term benefits but can be expensive and require extra work. Crop yields may even decrease during the first few years.

Cover crops cost roughly $35 to $40 an acre, and farmers don’t make a direct profit from it. The crops are planted in the fall and aren’t harvested. Instead, as the plants die and decompose, they provide nutrients back into the soil for the new commodity crop. Some farmers terminate the crops with chemical herbicides.

But the $5 an acre from the Fall Cover for Spring Savings program acts as an incentive for doing the right thing, which will pay off later, said Ed Dubrick, a small pasture poultry farmer in Cissna Park who also farms vegetables with his wife.

“It's an investment because you know you're doing right by the environment,” Dubrick said. “You know you're doing right by your land, and long term, you're going to build your soil health, and that will impact your bottom line.”

There are also cultural barriers to planting cover crops. Row crop farmers often pride themselves on tidy, neat rows, and cover cropping and no-till can leave fields looking messy.

Walter Lynn, a retired certified public accountant and farmer in Springfield, said farmers sometimes only cover crop fields that are out of sight from their neighbors or the road because they’re afraid they’ll be judged.

At a recent soil health conference in Omaha, Lynn said he met a farmer who believes he can’t openly discuss his practices with his equipment dealer, saying, “There's a vulnerability that ag doesn't deal well with.” But at the conference, Lynn said the farmer found a welcoming atmosphere: “It's so good to come to this space at this meeting … I feel like I'm a member of the cover crop witness protection.”

This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Illinoisians can expect to pay more in taxes next year

Illinois families can expect to pay more in state and local taxes next year according to an analysis by Illinois Policy Institute.

The expected $244 hike in state and local taxes does not even account for Illinois’ $150 increase in gas taxes and vehicle registration fees enacted by Pritzker last year.

"So long as state lawmakers refuse to consider constitutional pension and other spending reforms, Illinoisans will continuously be asked to pay more," Bryce Hill, Research Analyst for Illinois Policy, said. "The progressive tax is not about reducing taxes for the middle class; it’s about eliminating taxpayer protections from the state constitution and opening the door for a litany of new taxes."

The median Illinois family, earning about $87,771 annually, could expect to pay $106 more in state and local sales and excise taxes, plus $183 more in local property taxes – already the second-highest in the nation. The increase in state and local taxes would likely push the combined state and local tax burden above $10,600 for the median Illinois family.

With just one week until Election Day, new Illinois Policy Institute analysis shows any promised savings from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s progressive tax would be offset by the state’s increasing property and sales taxes. Experts found the typical Illinois family can expect to pay more in state and local taxes next year even with his "fair tax." The tax relief promised by Pritzker under the progressive tax would only reduce state income taxes by $45.

Even if Illinois families are able to take advantage of expanded child and property tax credits, the increased cost of owning a vehicle in Illinois plus the state and local tax hike could ultimately raise taxes by $314 for the average family.

"While the governor claims the progressive tax amendment is the ‘fair’ option for Illinois families to provide relief, Illinois’ structural spending reveals the major flaws in his argument. Even if Pritzker’s progressive tax provides some income tax savings to the typical Illinois family, that relief will be more than offset by the state’s increasing sales and property taxes."

Breaking ~ Illinois to go maskless on Feb. 28

CHICAGO -- With the spread of the Coronavirus and hospitalizations numbers going downward, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced today the state's indoor mask mandate will come to an end at the end of this month.

"If these trends continue, and we expect them to, then on Monday, February 28, we will lift the indoor mask requirements for the State of Illinois," Pritzker said at his 2pm press conference in Chicago. Currently, Illinois is one of nine states that still required masks inside public places.

After the 28th, masking will then be optional in grocery stores, bars and restaurants, public buildings, and non-scholastic sporting events - vaccinated or not.

There will be some indoor areas and venues where masks will still be required until further notice.

Schools.
Day cares.
Health care facilities.
Congregate care facilities.
Public transportation, including buses, trains and airplanes.
Federal buildings in areas of high of substantial risk of transmission.
Long-term care facilities when in communal areas.
In businesses that privately require mask use.
When in municipalities, like cities or counties, that have mask mandates.
Local business and places of employment

As far as metrics to end the current mask mandate that started August 30 last year, the governor announced those earlier during the day in Champaign.

"My intention is as we've seen these numbers peak at about 7,400 hospitalizations, and heading downward significantly — we're now I think under 2,500 hospitalizations, so that's almost a third of where we were at the peak and heading even further downward — to lift the mask mandate in the indoor locations by February 28," he said at morningn news conference in the downstate college town.

Gov. Pritzker also said businesses and private organizations can enforce their own indoor mitigations, which includes wearing masks.

"I want to be clear, many local jurisdictions, many business and organizations have their own mask requirements and other mitigations that must be respected. Having stricter mitigations than the state requirements is something that must be adhere to. Doing what is right for your private business or for your local communities is encouraged.

"The lifting of the state's mask mandate should not invite people not wearing mask disuade those who chose to wear masks."

Statewide stay-at-home order, not if but when

Repeatedly this week, Governor J.B. Pritzker has put the citizens of Illinois on notice that he may have no choice but to issue a second statewide lockdown if the COVID-19 metrics continue to rise at an alarming rate. It is clearly obvious by the accelerated surge in positive cases he will in all likelihood announce another mandated shelter-in-place order in days ahead.

"The numbers don't lie. If things don't take a turn in the coming days, we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order will be all that is left," Governor Pritzker said. "With every fiber of my being, I do not want us to get there. But, right now, that seems where we are headed."

Hospitalizations are at an all-time high with cases increasing by 459% since October 1. As of Wednesday night, there were 5,258 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 around the state. Almost 1,000 individuals, 956 were being cared for in ICUs with 438 of them on ventilators.

In a preemptive move to reduce a possible strain on treatment and the spread of COVID-19, the City of Chicago issued its own stay-at-home advisory starting Monday.

The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from November 5-11 exceeds the 8% mitigation trigger point established in the governor's Restore Illinois plan which is now at 13.9%.

On Tuesday, as cases in The Sentinel's area of coverage in Champaign County fell to a two-week low of 23, the Illinois Department of Public Health began asking residents to enter a voluntary a quasi-quarantine by working from home if possible and to only go out for essential activities - such as grocery shopping, visiting a pharmacy or getting a COVID-19 test. The state agency also asked people to limit travel especially to areas experiencing high positivity rates and to limit gatherings - even small groups - that mix households for the next three weeks, including through the Thanksgiving holiday.

As of today, there 43 active cases in the communities The Sentinel serves and and another 600 in Champaign County. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is reporting two new additional COVID-19 deaths bringing the total to 39.

The news comes three days after the district agency reported eight deaths between November 5 and 11, including a female and a male patient in their 50s, a female in her 60s, two women in their 70s, two men in their 80s and a 90 year-old male succumbed to the viral infection.

Champaign County, which is in Region 6 in the IDPH COVID-19 Resurgence data tracking, is showing a 7-day rolling average of 2.0. Subtracting out the testing from the University of Illinois' rigorous testing protocols, the county's positivity is at 8.7.

As of Monday only Moultrie County was showing a rolling positivity rate below Champaign's number.

Clark County was at 12.1, Clay 18.1, Coles 12.4, Crawford 9.9, Cumberland 14.7, DeWitt 12.7, Douglas 12.2, Edgar 13.6, Effingham 21.7, Fayette 26.7, Ford 11.6, Iroquois 18.2, Jasper 11.8, Lawrence 11.3, Macon 16, Moultrie 8.6, Piatt 12.6, Richland 16, Shelby 14.2 and Vermilion County was at 12.2 on Monday.

Fayette County record some of the highest single-day positivity in the county with four days between October 30 and November 9 above 30.0.

Last Friday, 15 tests performed in Crawford County yielded seven confirmed cases for the highest single-day positivity of 46.7.

On Tuesday Pritzker asked his constituents to show restraint and do the right thing voluntarily to fight the surge and need for him to issue another shelter-in-place order.

"It's critical to remember that nothing makes a bigger deterrence in this pandemic than when a community decides to protect your own by wearing masks, by avoiding gatherings, by temporarily closing high-risk, high-exposure business until we get to a place where it opens again."

On again, off again: When will they play basketball?

Payton Vallee rebounds for SJO — Payton Vallee pulls down a rebound for the Spartans in her team's regional title game against Villa Grove earlier this year. Vallee, who will be a senior this season, and thousands of high school basketball players around the state remain hopeful they will have a season. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Once again, the Governor of Illinois caught the IHSA off-guard with another preemptive announcement.

Earlier today, Governor JB Pritzker told Illinoisans that all prep winter sports, including basketball would be "moved into spring" season. The announcement is the third chapter in this week's drama concerning the fate of high school sports. Meanwhile, as the state's Coronavirus positivity creeps even higher, the Illinois High School Association's decision to follow through with starting girls and boys basketball on November 16.

The IHSA's move on the COVID chess board yesterday was check, putting the actual decision of whether or not to suit up squarely in the lap of bishops tasked with running local school districts.

Shortly thereafter the IHSA response, the Governor made it clear it would be detrimental for schools to attempt to engage in interscholastic competition with the full intention of leveraging the weight of the Illinois State Board of Education — which controls funding to public schools — to ensure compliance from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The anticipation of getting back on the hardwood to compete by coaches and players in a little more than two weeks lasted only hours when a letter from ISBE superintendent Dr. Carmen Ayala reiterated the state's position with veiled, but poignant threat to school districts considering defying the governor's original proclamation on Tuesday postponing the winter sports season.

"Public health experts have determined that basketball poses a high risk of COVID-19 transmission and is not currently safe to play," Ayala wrote. "Defying the state's public health guidance opens schools up to liability and other ramifications that may negatively impact school communities."

The IHSA literally had no words after Governor Pritzker's press conference today.

"The IHSA has not received additional outreach from the Governor’s office or IDPH since Tuesday, and as a result, are not comfortable commenting," Matt Troha, Assistant Executive Director for the IHSA, wrote in an emailed to The Sentinel.

The on again, off again shift every 24 hours has school district scrambling for legal advice, coaches and AD looking at schedule options yet again and players wondering if they'll actually be able to play before a home crowd.

"It has been absolutely nuts and to be honest, the back and forth is getting exhausting," SJO boys basketball head coach Kiel Duval admitted. "Like I said today, we talk about in our program all the time about working together, teamwork, putting aside our personal agendas and doing what is best for the team. It would be nice if the people making these big decisions would take that same approach."

However, according to a story in the Lincoln Courier posted just after supper, IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said he didn't believe that the Governor would actually allow basketball to be played in the spring. At least for the moment - who knows what new plot twist will be tossed into the mix on All-Hallows Eve - Anderson plans for the show to go on as planned next month.

"All the things that are in place with COVID right now that are preventing us from playing medium and high-risk category sports could still be in place in the spring," Anderson said. "Nothing has changed. We’re still playing. We aren’t playing basketball in the spring or summer. We’ve approved basketball to be played in the winter, and that’s what we are moving ahead with."

In an email to the Chicago Sun-Times, Jordan Abudayyeh, Governor Pritzker’s press secretary, said, "The goal has never been to cancel seasons, but to rather postpone the seasons with the hope that by the spring there will be a vaccine or effective treatment that will allow more students to report to in school in person and participate in extracurricular activities.

"There are currently 1.8 million students in the state who are in remote learning right now and as the Governor has said, he is focused on bringing down positivity rates in communities across the state so local school boards feel comfortable enough to bring students back into the classroom."

Duval said the situation, a new power struggle between Bloomington and Springfield now taking shape, is "taking a toll on a lot of student athletes" as it continues to intensify.

"Yesterday was a day that our guys enjoyed. It was good to see some of their faces (under their masks of course) and the feeling as if there were brighter days ahead. Then it switched, then it switched back," Duval said. "What I told them today was worry about what we can control. We can control where our head is at when things get started again. We will be locked in, ready to go."

Like thousands of high school players around the state, the Spartans are ready to make a name for themselves this season.

"Our guys want to be on the court so bad right now, we just talked about how the road to that may not be a smooth one. Can't get too up, or too down. Stay positive and hope for the best," Duval said. "I really hope our guys get a chance to play. They absolutely deserve this."

House sneaks in late-night $11.6K raise for Illinois lawmakers, Senate still needs to pass measure

by Brad Weisenstein, Managing Editor
Illinois Policy

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois House members gave themselves a nearly 16% raise during a late-night vote Jan. 6 after many had left for the weekend.

The move still needs Illinois Senate approval and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.

In a lame-duck session that included a scramble to pass bills on abortion and gun control, state representatives put through a bill for mid-year spending adjustments that included the pay raises. They added $11,655 per lawmaker, raising the base to $85,000 annually for a legislature that is technically part-time and as of 2019 was the fourth-highest paid in the nation.

In reality, many state representatives will get more than $85,000 if the bill becomes law because of salary bonuses for committee responsibilities and leadership positions ranging from $10,000 to $16,000.

The bill passed the Illinois House 63-35, with about 20 members not voting, some of them already gone for the weekend.

The raise in base pay is in addition to 2.4% annual cost-of-living increases lawmakers gave themselves in 2019 during another secretive move. Those increases have lawmakers making about $73,345 and hit every July 1.

“Wages aren’t keeping up with inflation, but we’ve locked in inflation bumps each July, and now, late at night, with no one here, we’ve ensured our pay goes up well beyond what the private sector sees,” state Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, told The Associated Press. Batinick is retiring when the 103rd Illinois General Assembly is sworn in Jan. 11.

Statewide elected leaders got raises in base pay, ranging from $205,700 for the governor to $160,900 for lieutenant governor. Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, has not taken his salary since taking office. The bill created a position of Illinois House speaker pro tempore and gives the Senate another leadership position for attaining a supermajority, which adds a five-figure bump to those two $85,000 lawmaker salaries.

Illinoisans who object to the 16% pay bumps as inflation rages and threatens another recession should contact Pritzker and urge a veto of Senate Bill 1720.

Joe Tabor is a senior policy analyst at the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization that promotes responsible government and free market principles.