Election 2016: Clinton targeted in ad from group tied to Koch brothers - CBS News

 

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday makes her first appearance in a negative advertisement funded by the wealthy Republican donors tied to billionaires Charles and David Koch.

A 30-second ad aimed at Internet users in South Carolina and Florida shows headlines about the number of veterans who have died while awaiting health care. Then it shows a recent MSNBC interview with Clinton, who said of problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, "It's not been widespread as it has been made out to be."

"Not widespread?" text in the ad says. "Our veterans deserve better."

Play Video

 

The digital ad, backed by at least $100,000 from Concerned Veterans for America, a nonprofit group that does not identify its donors, is timed to run as Clinton participates in a Democratic candidate forum in South Carolina.

Clinton is "completely out of touch" with VA issues, which are "inarguably widespread," Dan Caldwell, a spokesman for Concerned Veterans for America, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

After Republicans criticized her remarks in the MSNBC interview, Clinton's campaign said she was "outraged" by VA delays in providing care.

Concerned Veterans for America is one of a half-dozen political and policy groups funded by the Kochs and hundreds of like-minded donors. That network is poised to spend a generous portion of at least $750 million over this year and next on issues relevant to the presidential race.

The ad marks the first major paid media effort by a Koch group to ding Clinton's 2016 candidacy.

As she gains steam in a three-candidate Democratic primary, while the Republican nominating process is far from settled, GOP groups are beginning their Clinton attack efforts.

The veterans ad follows a television commercial a week ago by a political group called Future 45. That ad focused on Clinton's work as secretary of state, particularly in Libya, concluding with a narrator saying: "Responsible for a disaster. More threats. More war."

Although the group spent only about $65,000 airing the spot a few times, according to Kantar Media's CMAG ad tracker, there are signs that more Clinton attacks are on the way.

On Monday at a New York fundraiser for Republican opposition group America Rising, headlined by 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, donors were encouraged to support Future 45, an attendee told the AP. The attendee was not authorized to share details from the private event and requested anonymity.

Republican hedge-fund billionaires Paul Singer of New York and Kenneth Griffin of Chicago are among those who have already written six-figure checks to Future 45, a fundraising report filed in July shows. The group's name references the 45th president, who will be elected next November.

Election 2016: Clinton targeted in ad from group tied to Koch brothers - CBS News

Solar Fight in Florida Heats Up with Mysterious Donor | PR Watch

 

The largest contribution so far to an anti-consumer measure to impede access to solar energy just came from a mysterious new donor.

This new donation comes as the battle over whether consumers in Florida can install home solar is heating up, with rival state constitutional amendments both aiming for the ballot in 2016.

On one side are consumer and environmental groups promoting home solar, and on the other—trying to block consumer access—are major utilities, groups linked to the Koch brothers and a new mysterious funder.

"Consumers for Smart Solar" is the misleading name of the group created to promote an amendment to the Florida Constitution that would protect the monopoly of the utilities. CMD/PRWatch has reported on its known funders and activities, and has jointly with the Energy & Policy Institute published research on the corporate ties of Consumers for Smart Solar.

These funders include Duke Energy ($160,000), Florida Power and Light ($175,000), Gulf Power ($180,000,) and Tampa Electric Company ($175,000). It has also received checks from groups known to be backed by the Koch brothers: the 60 Plus Association ($150,000) and the National Black Chamber of Commerce ($50,000). A complete list is below.

"Let's Preserve the American Dream" Spends $200K

The largest contribution so far, for $200,000, was reported by Consumers for Smart Solar as being received in September from a state Political Action Committee called "Let's Preserve the American Dream PAC," a group that is run by leadership from Associated Industries of Florida (AIF), a powerful industry lobby group.

Under Florida's campaign finance system, Let's Preserve the American Dream PAC is required to disclose its expenditures and sources of funding, but in its own September filing it made no reference to having given $200,000 to Consumers for Smart Solar.

So what gives?

Jeremy Wallace of the Miami Herald, who first reported on this, asked Ryan Tyson, Executive Director of the PAC, about the discrepancy and was told it was an error by Consumers for Smart Solar.

According to Tyson, the grant should have been reported as being from a newly formed group, also called Let's Preserve the American Dream (yes, that is the exact same name as the PAC), but which has been created as a 501(c)(4) Social welfare organization, and so it does not have to disclose its funding. Since the Miami Herald ran its story, the filings have been updated and now record the grant as coming from the new 501(c)(4) group.

Tyson separately claimed to CBS Miami that "the Let's Preserve the American Dream organizations are entirely different, with separate missions and purposes."

As if that were not confusing enough, leadership for Let's Preserve the American Dream, former U.S. Congressman Tom C. Feeney (President) and Ryan Tyson (Executive Director), are also the President and Vice President respectively of AIF.

And yet, AIF claims that it is itself not taking a position on the solar fight. Perhaps unsurprisingly, AIF's own Political Action Committee receives funding from Florida utilities, having received $156,500 from Florida Power & Light in 2015

Despite the tangle of relationships between Let's Preserve the American Dream (both entities), their shared leadership with each other and with AIF, and the identified connections to the Florida utilities, it may never be possible to discover the original source of the $200,000 grant.

The funding might be from the Florida utilities, but it could also be some other donor trying to keep voters in the dark.

This is unfortunate, both because this ballot initiative is of significant consequence for Florida energy consumers, but also because the state otherwise has relatively good disclosure requirements.

The sunshine state is famous for its year-round sun, but it is also known for its commitment to open government, including through Florida's so-called "Sunshine Law." That system has been tested in recent years, in particular through the actions of Republican Governor Rick Scott, who has often been accused of trying to avoid disclosure.

Similarly, Florida operates a campaign finance system which requires monthly disclosure of contributions and expenditures, which should allow the tracking of money spent and received by Consumers for Smart Solar.

Florida Utilities Benefit from Anti-Consumer Solar Access

Florida is one of the few remaining states that limits consumers access to generate their own energy using solar power, by blocking homeowners ability to enter into contracts for no up-front-cost installation of solar systems.

By state law, Floridians are barred from entering into contracts with companies that then install and maintain solar systems on consumers homes, with the firm paying the up-front costs and both the customer and the installation firm benefiting. The net effect would be that the consumers save money on their electricity bills and have more money in their pockets each month while using plentiful renewable energy.

Earlier in 2015, Google invested $300 million in Solar City, one firm installing home solar systems outside Florida to consumers with no up-front costs. As the Washington Post described the contracts with homeowners: "Solar City generally installs the systems at no charge to customers, and then charges the residents slightly less per month for the energy than they'd pay their traditional utility."

These contracts—aided by the increasingly cheap cost of photovoltaic systems manufactured in China—is a large reason that solar is such a booming industry in the U.S., with an 80% increase in installations in 2014 from the year before.

The arrangement is a win for consumers and a boon for green contracting jobs, but it is a threat to the monopoly of the utilities, and they have been fighting back in Florida.

With the U.S. needing to significantly reduce its dependence on fossil fuels because of the very real threats of the climate changes that are underway, the boom in home solar has the obvious benefit of reducing reliance on fossil fuels. It has also generated huge numbers of "green jobs," with the industry now employing 175,000 workers in the U.S. According to the White House, the solar industry is creating jobs at ten times the rate of the rest of the economy.

In a state with as much year-round sunshine as Florida, home solar should be booming, but whether it will is now the subject of a high-spending political fight being fueled in part by dark money interests.

------

Here is a list of contributions to anti-consumer Consumers for Smart Solar:

Electric Utility Companies Funding Consumers for Smart Solar:

• Duke Energy, $160,000
• Florida Power and Light Company, $175,000
• Gulf Power Company, $180,000
• Tampa Electric Company, $175,000
• Powersouth Energy Cooperative, $30,000

Outside Groups Funding Consumers for Smart Solar:

• National Black Chamber of Commerce,* $50,000
• 60 Plus Association,* $150,000
• Energy & Social Justice Project, $15,000
• Energy Equity Alliance, $1,000
• Partnership for Affordable Clean Energy, $76,000
• Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, $50,000
• Florida Faith And Freedom Coalition Inc., $125,000
• Florida Council For Safe Communities, $20,000
• Floridians For Government Accountability, $61,750
• Let's Preserve the American Dream, $200,000

* Groups known to have funding ties to the Koch Brothers, the billionaire heads of Koch Industries, which is one of the largest privately held fossil fuel conglomerates in the U.S.

Solar Fight in Florida Heats Up with Mysterious Donor | PR Watch

State's $700M worth of stalled construction projects hurts builders - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL

 

Posted Nov. 8, 2015 at 3:40 PM
Updated Nov 8, 2015 at 9:15 PM

Among the numerous financial headaches caused by Illinois' budget mess is $700 million in construction projects that Gov. Bruce Rauner halted in the summer, and officials have no estimate of how much more they'll need to dole out for stopping and, presumably, restarting them once there's a spending agreement.

About a dozen construction sites will need to be protected from winter at a cost of about $2 million, officials said.

Rauner halted projects at universities, state parks, prisons and even the Lincoln Tomb in the spring, eyeing a rapidly approaching start to the budget year and no agreed-upon fiscal plan. An Associated Press analysis of records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows that when work stopped July 1, it affected 419 contracts affiliated with 218 job sites. Of those, 95 were under construction, said Lyndsey Walters, spokeswoman for the agency administering the work, the Capital Development Board.

The first-year Republican governor and the Democratic-controlled legislature are now more than four months into the fiscal year with no budget. Rauner won't talk spending until he gets changes he says will make businesses less costly to run and restore taxpayers' faith in Illinois politics. Majority Democrats in the legislature want a tax increase with spending cuts to restore key programs.

Contractors had to pull equipment off locations; move and store materials; secure unfinished, sometimes-hazardous work sites; and watch the dispersal of their labor force, which when it returns will have likely earned a wage increase.

"This has not been pleasant," said Ric Krause, president of Chicago-area Path Construction Co., whose company had to stop work on eight projects worth $26 million — less than half of which, according to records, has been paid. With that much work in the hopper, Path has a number of staff members who are experts on the specific projects but now have no work to do.

"It's not like we have eight more jobs that we're starting right now (and) we can send them over there," Krause said. "You're trying to keep a balance of keeping them on, paying them, and having them not do anything, waiting to hear when the job is going to start again."

Key among Path projects is a building at Olive-Harvey Community College in Chicago that's 60 percent finished and was scheduled to open this month. It needs to be enclosed and heated against cold-weather damage, Krause said.

The Capital Development Board voted last month to free up $645,000 from its special projects fund for winterization work, which is expected to cost about $2 million for 11 sites statewide, Walters said.

Unfinished buildings inconvenience the owners, too, significantly so at colleges and universities. The AP's analysis showed $463 million — 65 percent of the total cost of stalled projects — is devoted to 81 campus projects at more than two dozen schools. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign had to find alternate classroom space for 100 students because work at the veterinary medicine school stopped. At the University of Illinois Springfield, two projects have been delayed, including the construction of the new Public Safety Building. Upgrades to three buildings at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine also have been postponed

The Capital Development Board will consider builders' requests to cover cost overruns, Walters said, and additional costs that are the state's responsibility would require a new appropriation. It might not be as easy as it sounds. Minnesota's government shut down for three weeks in 2011, and some affected contractors are still waiting to be reimbursed for the additional costs they bore, said Dave Semerad of Associated General Contractors of Minnesota.

Builders play a "delicate game," arranging money, machinery and labor in optimal weather, said Brian Turmail, spokesman for the industry group Associated General Contractors of America.

"You've got just the right amount of resources at just the right time in just the right places for when you need them," Turmail said, adding that unexpectedly shuttering a project "is both frustrating and costly."

Companies that have poured foundations and erected steel beams aren't the only ones hurting. Consulting firm Bric Partnership, with offices in Belleville and Springfield, has more than $1 million in state contracts for mechanical or electrical design of eight halted projects. Tom Buchheit, the company's managing member, said few had gotten underway, but subtracting expected cash flow from the books can keep a builder up at night.

And when the budget crisis is eventually resolved and stalled projects are giving the green light, some contractors — and subcontractors — will no longer be available.

"The private sector is very hot right now," said Brad Benhart, a former contractor and professor at Purdue University's School of Construction Management Technology. "They're going to go find other work, and it's going to be in the private sector, and they're going to be paid promptly.

"It's going to be very hard for the state to get contractors to come back."

A look at the 218 suspended construction sites

The following list provides the details on all 218 construction job sites that have been suspended due to Illinois' budget crisis:

***

Location
City
County
Project Description
Obligation
Expended
Balance

Percentage Paid

2

Quincy Veterans' Home
Quincy
Adams
Plan and Begin Renovation on Kent, Schapers B, Elmore Buildings
$2,331,012.16
$1,493,034.22
$837,977.94
64.10%

3

Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park
Sheffield
Bureau
Repair Erosion at Bureau Creek
$66,450.00
$0.00
$66,450.00
0.00%

4

Mississippi Palisades State Park
Savanna
Carroll
Rehabilitate Sewage System and Replace Roofing Systems
$54,400.00
$29,936.95
$24,463.05
55%

5

Rantoul Military Affairs
Rantoul
Champaign
Capital Improvements to Lincoln's ChalleNGE Academy
$35,938,498.14
$14,725,062.20
$21,213,435.94
41%

6

Parkland College
Champaign
Champaign
Construct Student Services Center Addition
$28,866,400.84
$28,499,504.03
$366,896.81
98.70%

7

Parkland College
Champaign
Champaign
Upgrade HVAC System
$89,159.00
$80,625.19
$8,533.81
90.40%

8

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Lincoln Hall Remodeling
$6,790,223.21
$4,478,779.24
$2,311,443.97
66.00%

9

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Lincoln Hall Remodeling (732)
$41,519,538.52
$41,513,493.64
$6,044.88
100%

10

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Plan/Construct Electrical and Computer Engineering Building
$80,557,681.10
$78,966,968.69
$1,590,712.41
98%

11

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Construction of an Integrated Bioresearch Laboratory
$22,222,985.00
$4,154,313.55
$18,068,671.45
18.70%

12

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Life Safety Upgrades to Foellinger, Armory and Huff Hall
$1,846,233.85
$175,923.89
$1,670,309.96
9.50%

13

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Interior and Exterior Renovations to the Education Building
$1,449,716.94
$1,281,304.24
$168,412.70
88.40%

14

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Renovate Vet Med. Large Animal Clinic
$729,301.28
$173,725.23
$555,576.05
23.80%

15

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Fourth Street Improvements
$1,811,613.91
$1,696,482.74
$115,131.17
93.60%

16

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Renovate Instructional Labs at Medical Sciences Building
$196,199.00
$144,206.84
$51,992.16
73.50%

17

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Upgrade Campus Controls
$866,245.23
$794,041.02
$72,204.21
91.70%

18

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Champaign
Underground Storage Tanks at Willard Airport
$989,011.85
$954,724.04
$34,287.81
96.50%

19

Eldon Hazlet State Park
Carlyle
Clinton
Rehabilitate Office/Service Area
$332,102.60
$287,578.79
$44,523.81
86.60%

20

Kaskaskia Community College
Centralia
Clinton
Workforce Development Center and Child Care Center
$35,000.00
$19,250.00
$15,750.00
55%

21

Kaskaskia Community College
Centralia
Clinton
Infrastructure Improvements at Vandalia Campus
$613,000.00
$316,003.00
$296,997.00
51.60%

22

Lake Land College
Mattoon
Coles
Construct Student Center/Student Services Building Addition
$1,460,761.00
$676,330.51
$784,430.49
46.30%

23

Lake Land College
Mattoon
Coles
Exterior Repairs to Webb Hall and Northwest Building
$38,427.00
$37,119.55
$1,307.45
96.60%

24

Eastern Illinois University
Charleston
Coles
Plan Renovation/Expansion-Fine Arts
$2,120,586.75
$2,107,601.27
$12,985.48
99.40%

25

Eastern Illinois University
Charleston
Coles
HVAC Upgrades to Old Steam Plant, Blair Hall and Old Main
$73,800.00
$42,932.66
$30,867.34
58.20%

26

Eastern Illinois University
Charleston
Coles
Campus Electrical Upgrades
$98,800.00
$41,130.00
$57,670.00
41.60%

27

Eastern Illinois University
Charleston
Coles
ADA Upgrades
$1,667,660.00
$299,702.76
$1,367,957.24
18%

28

Eastern Illinois University
Charleston
Coles
Remove Three Underground Storage Tanks
$461,394.08
$432,919.19
$28,474.89
93.80%

29

Eastern Illinois University
Charleston
Coles
Abate Asbestos
$22,100.00
$7,858.00
$14,242.00
35.60%

30

Chicago Veterans' Home
Chicago
Cook
Construct 200-bed Veterans' Home Facility
$64,596,255.37
$10,544,301.36
$54,051,954.01
16.30%

31

William W. Powers Fish and Wildlife Area
Chicago
Cook
Replace Boat Ramps and Improve Parking
$82,900.00
$13,633.50
$69,266.50
16.40%

32

Pullman Factory Historic Site
Chicago
Cook
Final Stabilization and Begin Restoration at Hotel Florence
$1,383,272.00
$600,323.83
$782,948.17
43.40%

33

Pullman Factory Historic Site
Chicago
Cook
Renovate Administration Building and First Bay
$47,639.00
$11,655.60
$35,983.40
24.50%

34

Pullman Factory Historic Site
Chicago
Cook
Renovate and Repair at Hotel Florence
$427,985.00
$24,459.00
$403,526.00
5.70%

35

James R. Thompson Center
Chicago
Cook
Upgrade HVAC System
$497,070.00
$377,470.00
$119,600.00
75.90%

36

James R. Thompson Center
Chicago
Cook
Plan and Begin Electrical System and Life Safety Upgrades
$702,710.00
$354,904.00
$347,806.00
50.50%

37

Chicago-Read Mental Health Center
Chicago
Cook
Renovate Unit J-East for Forensic Use
$3,031,020.93
$2,284,665.10
$746,355.83
75.40%

38

Northwest Readiness Center
Chicago
Cook
Upgrade Electrical System
$239,800.00
$107,679.00
$132,121.00
44.90%

39

Olive-Harvey Community College
Chicago
Cook
New Building at Olive-Harvey College
$39,527,687.96
$20,752,815.19
$18,774,872.77
52.50%

40

William Rainey Harper College
Palatine
Cook
Renovate Engineering and Technology Center
$24,074,076.25
$22,733,093.45
$1,340,982.80
94.40%

41

William Rainey Harper College
Palatine
Cook
Construct One-Stop Admissions and Campus/Student Center
$7,112,953.19
$2,064,735.75
$5,048,217.44
29%

42

William Rainey Harper College
Palatine
Cook
Upgrade Parking Lots
$170,171.90
$61,573.86
$108,598.04
36.20%

43

Prairie State College
Chicago Heights
Cook
Adult Training and Center
$546,520.00
$536,520.00
$10,000.00
98.20%

44

Prairie State College
Chicago Heights
Cook
Various Capital Improvements
$1,942,301.82
$1,659,922.93
$282,378.89
85.50%

45

Prairie State College
Chicago Heights
Cook
Upgrade Campus Signage
$41,700.00
$29,255.25
$12,444.75
70.20%

46

South Suburban College
South Holland
Cook
Construct Allied Health Addition
$1,079,717.00
$655,930.19
$423,786.81
60.80%

47

Chicago State University
Chicago
Cook
Plan and Begin a Westside Campus (Grant)
$4,000,000.00
$1,000,000.00
$3,000,000.00
25%

48

Chicago State University
Chicago
Cook
Remediate/Complete Convocation Center
$1,551,600.00
$1,143,034.99
$408,565.01
73.70%

49

Chicago State University
Chicago
Cook
Renovate Robinson Center
$5,697,418.81
$2,203,163.68
$3,494,255.13
38.70%

50

Chicago State University
Chicago
Cook
Upgrade Electrical System
$5,214,540.00
$2,209,462.37
$3,005,077.63
42.40%

51

Chicago State University
Chicago
Cook
Upgrade Utility Tunnel
$911,100.00
$100,416.00
$810,684.00
11%

52

Chicago State University
Chicago
Cook
Renovate/Construct Child Care Center in Education Building
$1,245,121.00
$732,960.83
$512,160.17
58.90%

53

Chicago State University
Chicago
Cook
Upgrade Walkways and Parking Lots, Campus-wide
$56,200.00
$6,812.22
$49,387.78
12.10%

54

Northeastern Illinois University
Chicago
Cook
Construct an Education Building
$5,049,400.00
$1,421,208.49
$3,628,191.51
28.10%

55

Northeastern Illinois University
Chicago
Cook
Replace Roof/Repair Wall at Physical Education Building
$642,230.97
$197,197.73
$445,033.24
30.70%

56

Northeastern Illinois University
Chicago
Cook
Replace Roof/Repair Wall at Library
$773,950.00
$735,130.10
$38,819.90
95%

57

Northeastern Illinois University
Chicago
Cook
Replace Roofing Systems/Repair Wall at Buildings H, J and BBH
$108,300.00
$37,424.00
$70,876.00
34.60%

58

University of Illinois
Chicago
Cook
Construct Advanced Chemical Technology Building
$6,965,486.00
$3,050,927.14
$3,914,558.86
43.80%

59

University of Illinois
Chicago
Cook
Upgrade Elevators in Two Buildings
$77,000.00
$48,710.00
$28,290.00
63.30%

60

University of Illinois
Chicago
Cook

Exterior Repairs/Window Replacement at College of Med and Clinic Sciences

$322,300.00
$201,311.00
$120,989.00
62.50%

61

University of Illinois
Chicago
Cook
Exterior Repairs at Science and Engineering South
$218,600.00
$112,839.00
$105,761.00
51.60%

62

Northern Illinois University
DeKalb
DeKalb
Renovate/Expand Stevens Building
$26,431,168.41
$10,644,334.58
$15,786,833.83
40.30%

63

Illinois Youth Center
Warrenville
DuPage
Replace Roofing Systems
$60,100.00
$28,631.00
$31,469.00
47.60%

64

College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn
DuPage
Demolish Temporary Buildings (M,K, OC and L)
$457,507.00
$406,530.52
$50,976.48
88.90%

65

Carlyle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Vandalia
Fayette
Construct Sub-Impoundment
$251,299.00
$38,677.00
$212,622.00
15.40%

66

Vandalia Correctional Center
Vandalia
Fayette
Replace Roofing Systems
$274,652.00
$22,742.20
$251,909.80
8.30%

67

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park
Whittington
Franklin
Various Improvements at Rend Lake Resort
$777,936.00
$236,512.12
$541,423.88
30.40%

68

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park
Whittington
Franklin
Repair and Replace Roofing Systems
$140,585.34
$128,079.30
$12,506.04
91.10%

69

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park
Whittington
Franklin
Rehabilitate Parking and Access Road
$45,100.00
$12,500.00
$32,600.00
27.70%

70

Rice Lake Conservation Area
Canton
Fulton
Underground Storage Tank Site Investigation
$199,653.90
$147,152.32
$52,501.58
73.70%

71

Illinois-Michigan Canal State Park
Morris
Grundy
Improve Higbee Run Drainage
$69,000.00
$0.00
$69,000.00
0%

72

Illinois Youth Center
Kewanee
Henry
Lower Containment Barrier and No-Climb Fencing at Recreation Areas
$219,600.00
$0.00
$219,600.00
0%

73

Southern Illinois University
Carbondale
Jackson
Communication Building Renovation/Addition
$1,839,215.00
$1,703,735.50
$135,479.50
92.60%

74

Southern Illinois University
Carbondale
Jackson
Renovate Greenhouses for Ag Sciences and Botany Teaching
$330,356.00
$197,593.00
$132,763.00
59.80%

75

Southern Illinois University
Carbondale
Jackson
Upgrade Fire Alarm System in Seven Buildings
$1,354,679.62
$888,006.43
$466,673.19
65.60%

76

Southern Illinois University
Carbondale
Jackson
Demolish Carterville Campus
$1,890,997.00
$1,490,185.48
$400,811.52
78.80%

77

Mississippi State Fish and Wildlife Area
Grafton
Jersey
Rehabilitate Batchtown Boat Access Site
$74,200.00
$42,238.70
$31,961.30
56.90%

78

Pere Marquette State Park
Grafton
Jersey
Upgrade Lodge Attic Ventilation and Exhaust Air Systems
$72,354.00
$27,315.00
$45,039.00
37.80%

79

Pere Marquette State Park
Grafton
Jersey
Rehabilitate Campground Electrical
$179,900.00
$61,196.42
$118,703.58
34%

80

Pere Marquette State Park
Grafton
Jersey
Rehabilitate Group Camp Areas
$587,447.00
$84,146.30
$503,300.70
14.30%

81

Vienna Correctional Center
Vienna
Johnson
Upgrade Roofing and Security Systems and Replace Windows
$307,666.66
$235,888.63
$71,778.03
76.70%

82

Ferne Clyffe State Park
Goreville
Johnson
Replace Campground Sewage Treatment
$35,259.00
$14,573.42
$20,685.58
41.30%

83

Vienna Correctional Center
Vienna
Johnson
Upgrade Roofing and Security Systems and Replace Windows
$2,334,400.91
$2,014,272.09
$320,128.82
86.30%

84

Vienna Correctional Center
Vienna
Johnson
Replace Roofing Systems in Building 19
$449,542.00
$53,500.79
$396,041.21
11.90%

85

Shawnee Correctional Center
Vienna
Johnson
Replace Windows
$2,017,511.96
$1,530,262.74
$487,249.22
75.80%

86

Shawnee Correctional Center
Vienna
Johnson
Replace Roofing Systems
$237,940.00
$0.00
$237,940.00
0%

87

Vienna Correctional Center
Vienna
Johnson
Upgrade Building 19
$632,239.00
$181,945.37
$450,293.63
28.80%

88

Illinois Youth Center
St. Charles
Kane
Renovate Intake Building
$3,687,938.24
$2,824,380.07
$863,558.17
76.60%

89

Illinois Youth Center
St. Charles
Kane
Replace Water Distribution System
$327,900.00
$66,747.00
$261,153.00
20.40%

90

Illinois Youth Center
St. Charles
Kane
Construct Recreational Area and Fencing
$78,236.00
$54,025.50
$24,210.50
69.10%

91

Illinois Youth Center
St. Charles
Kane
Upgrade Perimeter Security Fencing and Install High Mast Lighting
$435,400.00
$0.00
$435,400.00
0%

92

Illinois Youth Center
St. Charles
Kane
Replace Roofing Systems, Siding, Windows and Other Improvements
$326,100.00
$84,495.10
$241,604.90
25.90%

93

Elgin Regional Office Building
Elgin
Kane
Replace Roof
$481,012.02
$402,547.00
$78,465.02
83.70%

94

Elgin Mental Health Center
Elgin
Kane
Replace Chiller at Adult Psychiatric Building
$72,500.00
$0.00
$72,500.00
0%

95

Elgin Mental Health Center
Elgin
Kane
Replace Roofing Systems
$143,500.00
$18,226.25
$125,273.75
12.70%

96

Elgin Mental Health Center
Elgin
Kane
Modifications To Meet Accessible Parking Requirements
$30,514.00
$0.00
$30,514.00
0%

97

Illinois Math and Science Academy
Aurora
Kane
Correct Water Infiltration at Academic Building
$369,200.00
$188,215.00
$180,985.00
51%

98

Elgin Community College
Elgin
Kane
Replace Roof on Building H
$83,800.00
$30,382.00
$53,418.00
36.30%

99

Kankakee River Conservation Area and State Park

Bourbonnais
Kankakee
Replace Sewage Treatment Plants and Shower Building
$1,308,180.00
$624,161.33
$684,018.67
47.70%

100

Illinois Beach State Park
Zion
Lake
Stabilize Shoreline
$273,237.00
$261,154.02
$12,082.98
95.60%

101

Illinois Beach State Park
Zion
Lake
Replace Roofing Systems on South Loop
$162,519.00
$112,380.68
$50,138.32
69.10%

102

Illinois Beach State Park
Zion
Lake
Replace Beach Concession
$185,200.00
$66,509.00
$118,691.00
35.90%

103

College Of Lake County
Grayslake
Lake
Plan and Construct Technology Building
$13,337,637.43
$13,244,292.58
$93,344.85
99.30%

104

College Of Lake County
Grayslake
Lake
Construct Student Services/Adult Education Center Waukegan Campus
$3,020,987.96
$553,304.70
$2,467,683.26
18.30%

105

College Of Lake County
Grayslake
Lake

Upgrade HVAC and Electrical Systems/Install Fire Suppression at Data Center

$790,772.69
$664,758.61
$126,014.08
84.10%

106

Sheridan Correctional Center
Sheridan
LaSalle
Replace Roofing Systems
$81,900.00
$41,211.00
$40,689.00
50.30%

107

Sheridan Correctional Center
Sheridan
LaSalle
Replace Roofing Systems
$156,500.00
$0.00
$156,500.00
0%

108

Lawrence Correctional Center
Sumner
Lawrence
Restore Power
$181,177.00
$0.00
$181,177.00
0%

109

Lawrence Correctional Center
Sumner
Lawrence
Restore Boiler Water Piping
$414,780.00
$251,481.10
$163,298.90
60.60%

110

Dixon Correctional Center
Dixon
Lee
Replace Roofing Systems
$1,347,359.00
$1,195,550.32
$151,808.68
88.70%

111

Dwight Correctional Center
Pontiac
Livingston
Repair Wastewater Treatment Plant
$94,280.00
$35,160.20
$59,119.80
37.30%

112

Pontiac Correctional Center
Pontiac
Livingston
Renovate Showers and Replace Plumbing in South Cell House
$33,604.00
$0.00
$33,604.00
0%

113

Pontiac Correctional Center
Pontiac
Livingston
Renovate Inmate Kitchen and Cold Storage
$672,400.00
$23,608.75
$648,791.25
3.50%

114

Helfrich Game Propagation Center
Lincoln
Logan
Storage Tank Investigation and Remediation
$75,033.00
$58,113.77
$16,919.23
77.50%

115

Logan Correctional Center
Lincoln
Logan
Replace Roofing Systems
$76,100.00
$7,700.14
$68,399.86
10.10%

116

Logan Correctional Center
Lincoln
Logan
Replace Windows
$113,360.00
$0.00
$113,360.00
0%

117

Decatur Correctional Center
Decatur
Macon
Replace Chiller
$255,000.00
$0.00
$255,000.00
0%

118

Alton Mental Health Center
Alton
Madison
Life Safety Improvements to Two Residence Buildings
$3,202,810.00
$2,809,488.18
$393,321.82
87.70%

119

Alton Mental Health Center
Alton
Madison
Upgrade Building Automation System
$242,090.00
$153,063.00
$89,027.00
63.20%

120

Lewis and Clark Community College
Godfrey
Madison
Construct Day Care and Montessori School
$356,100.00
$168,791.30
$187,308.70
47.40%

121

Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville
Madison
Renovate Old Science Building
$51,169,005.63
$32,481,288.81
$18,687,716.82
63.50%

122

Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville
Madison
Replace Windows in Four Buildings
$965,795.47
$870,870.46
$94,925.01
90.20%

123

Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville
Madison
Renovate Chiller Plant
$2,077,612.30
$1,853,947.70
$223,664.60
89.20%

124

Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville
Madison
Abate Window Caulking
$297,740.00
$279,015.43
$18,724.57
93.70%

125

Powerton Lake Fish and Wildlife Area
Manito
Mason
Improve Boat Access
$65,500.00
$32,675.56
$32,824.44
49.90%

126

Fort Massac State Park
Metropolis
Massac
Repair and Rehabilitate Fort
$283,689.00
$85,146.32
$198,542.68
30%

127

Fort Massac State Park
Metropolis
Massac
Rehabilitate Shower Building
$82,568.00
$38,958.01
$43,609.99
47.20%

128

Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Massac County
Massac
Replace Roofing Systems
$107,680.87
$92,305.64
$15,375.23
85.70%

129

Argyle Lake State Park
Colchester
McDonough
Improve Dam and Boat Ramp
$1,594,200.00
$110,889.12
$1,483,310.88
7%

130

Western Illinois University
Macomb
McDonough
Memorial Hall Improvements/Interim Space
$1,786,646.00
$1,766,367.68
$20,278.32
98.90%

131

Western Illinois University
Macomb
McDonough
Performing Arts Center
$5,756,179.94
$916,138.28
$4,840,041.66
15.90%

132

Moraine Hills State Park
McHenry
McHenry
Renovate and Replace Yellow-Head Marsh Dam Culverts
$57,900.00
$23,074.92
$34,825.08
39.90%

133

Moraine View State Park
LeRoy
McLean
Improve Boat Ramps
$437,500.00
$31,021.14
$406,478.86
7.10%

134

Illinois State University
Normal
McLean
Life Safety Improvements / Turner-Stevenson
$10,153,461.49
$10,000,849.30
$152,612.19
98.50%

135

Illinois State University
Normal
McLean
Renovate Visual Arts Center
$5,270,988.00
$460,261.00
$4,810,727.00
8.70%

136

Illinois State University
Normal
McLean
Upgrade Electrical Distribution System at Milner Library
$175,900.00
$133,141.41
$42,758.59
75.70%

137

Illinois State University
Normal
McLean
Renovate Schroeder Hall (Phase II)
$200,000.00
$49,442.00
$150,558.00
24.70%

138

Illinois State University
Normal
McLean
Renovate Capen Auditorium
$1,459,889.52
$957,871.36
$502,018.16
65.60%

139

Graham Correctional Center
Hillsboro
Montgomery
Replace Roofing Systems
$95,518.00
$20,901.97
$74,616.03
21.90%

140

Illinois School for the Deaf
Jacksonville
Morgan
Renovate High School Building
$39,000.00
$34,300.00
$4,700.00
87.90%

141

Illinois School for the Deaf
Jacksonville
Morgan
Sprinkle Cullom Hall
$28,400.00
$17,289.17
$11,110.83
60.90%

142

Woodford County Conservation Area
Chillicothe
Peoria
Dredging and Beneficial Reuse
$301,207.00
$48,981.75
$252,225.25
16.30%

143

DuQuoin State Fairgrounds
DuQuoin
Perry
Repair/Replace Masonry, Parapet Walls and Roofing
$1,169,034.98
$888,819.89
$280,215.09
76%

144

DuQuoin State Fairgrounds
DuQuoin
Perry
Repair Hays House Roof and Correct Water Infiltration and Damage
$14,900.00
$6,876.86
$8,023.14
46.20%

145

Dixon Springs Boot Camp
Golconda
Pope
Repair Dorm Building
$79,722.00
$67,575.25
$12,146.75
84.80%

146

Shawnee Community College
Ullin
Pulaski
Renovate Restrooms in Buildings H and I
$36,000.00
$25,390.52
$10,609.48
70.50%

147

Menard Correctional Center
Menard
Randolph
Demolish Buildings
$320,108.00
$123,938.42
$196,169.58
38.70%

148

Menard Correctional Center
Menard
Randolph
Replace Roofing Systems in Laundry Building
$247,672.00
$0.00
$337,672.00
0%

149

Menard Correctional Center
Menard
Randolph
Replace Plumbing in South Cell House
$96,850.00
$0.00
$96,850.00
0%

150

Menard Correctional Center
Menard
Randolph
Replace Roofing Systems
$11,050.00
$0.00
$11,050.00
0%

151

Chester Mental Health Center
Chester
Randolph
Replace Roofing System
$3,550,115.01
$2,919,670.92
$630,444.09
82.20%

152

Illinois Eastern Community College District
Olney
Richland
Various Improvements Across District
$427,402.56
$380,174.59
$47,227.97
89%

153

Illinois Eastern Colleges-Olney Central College
Olney
Richland
Construct Collision Repair Tech Center
$1,315,822.20
$1,198,694.56
$117,127.64
91.10%

154

WIU Quad Cities Campus
Moline
Rock Island
Renovate/Construct Riverfront Campus - Phase II
$38,621,486.68
$35,514,737.58
$3,106,749.10
92%

155

Illinois Youth Center
Harrisburg
Saline
Replace Roofing Systems
$191,444.00
$31,423.00
$160,021.00
16.40%

156

Illinois Youth Center
Harrisburg
Saline
Replace Chillers
$83,781.00
$0.00
$83,781.00
0%

157

Illinois Youth Center
Harrisburg
Saline
Upgrade Electrical Primary and Emergency Generators
$319,459.00
$0.00
$319,459.00
0%

158

Supreme Court Building
Springfield
Sangamon
Renovate Supreme Court Building
$12,751,272.46
$12,379,196.43
$372,076.03
97.10%

159

Illinois State Fairgrounds
Springfield
Sangamon
Upgrade Electrical Systems
$795,633.00
$716,194.00
$79,439.00
90%

160

Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site
Springfield
Sangamon
Upgrade HVAC System/Fountain Repairs
$82,190.00
$29,135.34
$53,054.66
35.40%

161

Lincoln's Tomb Historic Site
Springfield
Sangamon
Restore Tomb Interior
$659,855.72
$608,027.46
$51,828.26
92.10%

162

Lincoln's Tomb Historic Site
Springfield
Sangamon
Restore Receiving Vault
$385,428.59
$280,056.64
$105,371.95
72.70%

163

Lincoln-Herndon Law Office
Springfield
Sangamon
Renovate the Tinsley Shop
$144,550.00
$84,273.00
$60,277.00
58.30%

164

Old State Capitol
Springfield
Sangamon
Exterior Repairs/Restore Drum
$67,244.00
$41,654.54
$25,589.46
61.90%

165

Research and Collection Center
Springfield
Sangamon
Replace Chillers, Cooling Tower and Air Handling Units
$1,164,108.49
$911,272.17
$252,836.32
78.30%

166

Springfield Computer Facility

Sangamon County

Sangamon
Upgrade Computer Room and Building Electrical System
$89,996.76
$45,402.50
$44,594.26
50.40%

167

Springfield Computer Facility

Sangamon County

Sangamon
Replace Emergency Generator
$103,071.00
$102,992.05
$78.95
99.90%

168

Illinois State Police Central Headquarters
Springfield
Sangamon
Upgrade of Exterior Entry Doors
$39,360.00
$31,647.49
$7,712.51
80.40%

169

Illinois State Police Central Headquarters
Springfield
Sangamon
Renovation of Elevators
$1,334,193.00
$86,361.77
$1,247,831.23
6.50%

170

Camp Lincoln (Springfield)
Springfield
Sangamon
Construct New Academy
$1,215,209.07
$1,203,085.21
$12,123.86
99%

171

Revenue Building (Willard Ice Building)
Springfield
Sangamon
Upgrade WIB Security
$2,864,384.00
$482,214.11
$2,382,169.89
16.80%

172

Revenue Building (Willard Ice Building)
Springfield
Sangamon
Upgrade HVAC Systems
$254,000.00
$120,366.00
$133,634.00
47.40%

173

Revenue Building (Willard Ice Building)
Springfield
Sangamon
Upgrade WIB Security
$1,394,156.00
$409,517.87
$984,638.13
29.40%

174

Revenue Building (Willard Ice Building)
Springfield
Sangamon
Upgrade WIB Security
$140,522.00
$13,031.00
$127,491.00
9.30%

175

Mid-Illinois Medical District Commission
Springfield
Sangamon
Construct Center for Health Professions Performance Improvement
$247,500.00
$245,937.50
$1,562.50
99.40%

176

Executive Mansion
Springfield
Sangamon
Renovate Interior and Exterior and Replace Roof
$400,385.00
$283,652.36
$116,732.64
70.80%

177

Michael J. Howlett Building
Springfield
Sangamon
Upgrade North Patio for Public Safety
$560,163.75
$514,108.77
$46,054.98
91.80%

178

Michael J. Howlett Building
Springfield
Sangamon
Repair and Replace Historic Ornate Plaster Ceilings
$732,268.00
$690,563.24
$41,704.76
94.30%

179

Capitol Building
Springfield
Sangamon
Emergency Sprinkler Line Repair
$44,000.00
$23,978.84
$20,021.16
54.50%

180

Capitol Complex
Springfield
Sangamon
Plan and Begin Upgrade of High Voltage Distribution System
$1,309,045.00
$1,250,015.05
$59,029.95
95.50%

181

Capitol Complex
Springfield
Sangamon
Plan and Begin Correction of Parking Garage Water Infiltration
$100,000.00
$96,040.53
$3,959.47
96%

182

S.I.U. School of Medicine
Springfield
Sangamon
Infrastructure Upgrades to Three Buildings
$78,602.00
$30,064.15
$48,537.85
38.20%

183

University of Illinois
Springfield
Sangamon
Construct a Public Safety Building
$479,240.00
$246,975.16
$232,264.84
51.50%

184

University of Illinois
Springfield
Sangamon
Construct Storage Building/Campus Metering and Ventilation Upgrades
$69,800.00
$28,663.68
$41,136.32
41.10%

185

Rushville Treatment and Detention Facility
Rushville
Schuyler
Emergency Expansion of Treatment and Detention Facility
$12,946,450.01
$12,589,849.67
$356,600.34
97.20%

186

Hidden Springs State Forest
Clarksburg
Shelby
Underground Storage Tank Site Investigation
$27,664.00
$27,564.00
$100.00
99.60%

187

Eagle Creek State Park
Findlay
Shelby
Replace Sewer Lines
$147,080.00
$32,715.71
$114,364.29
22.20%

188

Wolf Creek State Park
Windsor
Shelby
Rehabilitate Boat Access
$602,912.00
$573,557.35
$29,354.65
95.10%

189

Cahokia Mounds Historic Site
Collinsville
St. Clair
Replace AV Equipment
$32,150.00
$23,518.45
$8,631.55
73.20%

190

Belleville State Police Forensic Laboratory
Belleville
St. Clair
Metro-East Forensic Laboratory
$6,098,103.21
$2,913,054.71
$3,185,048.50
47.80%

191

Southwestern IL Community Coll
Belleville
St. Clair
Site Improvements to Central Quad Development
$115,805.00
$15,076.00
$100,729.00
13%

192

Rock Island Trail State Park
Wyoming
Stark
Replace Culvert and Erosion Control
$42,600.00
$6,316.00
$36,284.00
14.80%

193

Statewide Program
Statewide
Statewide
Install Sprinklers
$1,848,106.80
$1,397,193.17
$450,913.63
75.60%

194

Statewide Program
Statewide
Statewide
MEDICARE/MEDICAID Certification Inspection
$263,447.00
$0.00
$263,447.00
0.00%

195

Statewide Program
Statewide
Statewide
RepairandReplace Roofing Systems
$157,998.00
$58,770.09
$99,227.91
37.20%

196

Statewide Program
Statewide
Statewide
ADA Design/Construction Phase
$119,900.00
$91,949.50
$27,950.50
76.70%

197

Statewide Program
Statewide
Statewide

Underground Storage Tanks - Carlyle, Beaver Dam, Pere Marquette, Holten SP

$244,745.48
$199,390.88
$45,354.60
81.50%

198

Statewide Program
Statewide
Statewide
Renovate for office space Extension Building #30
$12,177.00
$10,780.99
$1,396.01
88.50%

199

Secretary of State
Statewide
Statewide
Renovate HVAC-Drivers South, West, North
$1,881,049.56
$1,587,165.90
$293,883.66
84.40%

200

Statewide Asbestos Surveys
Statewide
Statewide
Asbestos-Hazard Reinspections - South
$18,000.00
$0.00
$18,000.00
0%

201

Highland Community College
Freeport
Stephenson
Upgrade HVAC System/Replace Windows
$36,587.70
$32,779.50
$3,808.20
89.60%

202

Illinois Central College
East Peoria
Tazewell
Renovate Classrooms, Offices, and Corridors
$1,215,661.94
$1,101,356.98
$114,304.96
90.60%

203

Anna Veterans' Home
Anna
Union
Plan and Begin the Construction of a 40-50 Bed Addition
$798,730.00
$742,236.84
$56,493.16
92.90%

204

Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center

Anna
Union
Life Safety Upgrades Facility-Wide
$7,875,203.58
$2,340,151.76
$5,535,051.82
29.70%

205

Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center

Anna
Union
Replace Roofing Systems
$54,182.00
$0.00
$54,182.00
0%

206

Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center

Anna
Union
Abate Asbestos for Life Safety Upgrades
$1,721,837.00
$977,142.68
$744,694.32
56.80%

207

Morrison-Rockwood State Park
Morrison
Whiteside
Improve Boat Access
$41,800.00
$24,723.00
$17,077.00
59.10%

208

Des Plaines Game Farm
Wilmington
Will
Repair Storm Damage
$47,500.00
$8,080.00
$39,420.00
17%

209

Illinois and Michgan Canal
Joliet
Will
Improve DuPage River Spillway
$342,475.01
$0.00
$342,475.01
0%

210

Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area
Wilmington
Will
Replace Boat Docks
$72,023.00
$7,451.86
$64,571.14
10.30%

211

Stateville Correctional Center
Joliet
Will
Replace Roofing Systems
$105,000.00
$25,400.00
$79,600.00
24.20%

212

Stateville Correctional Center
Joliet
Will
Repair and Replace Steam Lines
$49,300.00
$0.00
$49,300.00
0%

213

Joliet
Will County
Will
Replacing Roofing System - District 5 HQ
$24,800.00
$0.00
$24,800.00
0%

214

Joliet Junior College
Joliet
Will
Upgrade Utilities
$2,113,675.00
$1,701,754.34
$411,920.66
80.50%

215

Joliet Junior College
Joliet
Will
Upgrade HVAC System - City Center
$35,400.00
$29,034.81
$6,365.19
82%

216

Governors State University
University Park
Will
Renovate Vacated Space and E and F Wings
$19,783,477.64
$18,556,461.45
$1,227,016.19
93.80%

217

Governors State University
University Park
Will
Campus Roadway and Sidewalk Improvements
$1,918,230.86
$1,653,678.57
$264,552.29
86.20%

218

Governors State University
Joliet
Will
Renovate Engbretson Hall
$102,100.00
$69,429.00
$32,671.00
68%

219

Rock Valley College
Rockford
Winnebago
New Instructional Building
$4,060,492.00
$1,077,395.12
$2,983,096.88
26.50%

220

A look at the 218 suspended construction sites

The following list provides the details on all 218 construction job sites that have been suspended due to Illinois' budget crisis:

State's $700M worth of stalled construction projects hurts builders - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL

Wisconsin gets D grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation - Yahoo News

 

While Wisconsin voters tracked the doomed presidential ambitions of Republican Gov. Scott Walker this summer, legislators in Madison brawled over changes that Walker and his allies had proposed to the state’s open records law.

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As a parched summer gave way to September in the state’s leafy capital on five lakes, the town was buzzing over news that weeks earlier, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos had begun work to draft a bill that would exempt the Legislature’s two houses from the state’s records law. The draft would allow lawmakers to write their own rules governing whether their emails, memos and other documents, all currently considered public, would instead be shielded from view.

The move came to light only after a liberal advocacy group released emails about the plan that it obtained through a public records request. And the Vos effort came just weeks after a failed attempt by Republican leaders to add to a budget bill even broader exemptions from the open records law.

Immediately after the draft surfaced, Vos held a news conference to say his office had abandoned the effort for this session. "We're not changing the open records law,” Vos said.

But transparency advocates saw something more sinister. “I think what is happening is an aberration, and a major departure from past Wisconsin tradition,” said Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, a nonprofit advocacy group. “What we are seeing, for the first time in my experience, is the emergence of a culture of contempt for the public's right to know.”

The differences of opinion in the Badger State go beyond public records. Almost from the day Walker took office in 2011, the Republican-controlled Legislature has waged war on Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board — the latest iteration of a state ethics watchdog. The governor also led a successful push to strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights.

All of this has contributed to Wisconsin earning a score of 64, or a D, placing it 20th among 50 in the State Integrity Investigation, a data-driven assessment of state government accountability and transparency by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity.

Over the past few weeks, both houses of the Legislature have also approved sweeping changes to the state's campaign finance laws and a bill that would dismantle the Government Accountability Board by splitting it into two agencies, though the Assembly must now approve versions of the bills passed by the Senate. Last month, Walker signed a law that prohibits prosecutors from using a form of secret investigation — known as a John Doe — to probe allegations of public corruption. None of the recent moves factor into Wisconsin's D grade because they came after the project's study period had ended.

Wisconsin earned a grade of C- in 2012, when the State Integrity Investigation was first carried out. The two scores are not directly comparable, however, due to changes made to improve and update the project and methodology, such as eliminating the category for redistricting, a process that generally occurs only once every 10 years.

The report also found that Wisconsin has a significant "enforcement gap," which measures the difference between the laws on the books and how well they’re actually implemented.

Laurel Patrick, a spokeswoman for Walker, said in an email that while she couldn’t comment on the new scores without seeing all the data behind them, “the governor is committed to ensuring state government is transparent and accountable to the public.” Laurel pointed to a new website that publishes spending data for state agencies and the Legislature as evidence that “Walker and his administration have a proven record of implementing common-sense reforms and policies to promote transparency in state government while also working to streamline state government.”

Late night moves on open records

Wisconsin's open records laws have remained generally untouched since 1981 — well before widespread Internet use, emailing, and text messaging; experts insist an update is in order. But advocates for reform say the latest proposals look more like gutting than revising.

In the wee hours of an early July night, as the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee prepared to pass a budget bill, committee co-chairs John Nygren and Alberta Darling, after a request from Walker and his staff, slipped in language that could have eviscerated the open records law. The wording exempted from public disclosure any documents used during the “deliberative process” by the governor, lawmakers and other state and local government officials. Effectively, it could have been used to shield opinions, analyses, briefings, correspondence about drafts and any notes that lawmakers or their staff created in the process of drafting a bill.

There had been no public input on the proposal, which most people learned of the next morning, only after the committee approved the budget bill.

The move sparked outrage among the public and many political leaders. Within 24 hours, Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel criticized the plan. "Transparency is the cornerstone of democracy and the provisions in the Budget Bill limiting access to public records move Wisconsin in the wrong direction," Schimel said. Even some Republican lawmakers denounced the move. “I will not support a budget that includes this assault on democracy," Republican state Sen. Robert Cowles told reporters the next day.

Republican leaders backed off two days after introducing the change and withdrew the language from the budget bill. But as became clear in September, that was just the beginning of the fight.  In secret, Vos, the assembly speaker, had begun devising a draft bill that would exempt legislators and their staff from the open records law.

While Vos said later he had abandoned the proposal, his statement left the door open for future changes. “It is not our goal to make any changes this session,” he said.

Wisconsin was one of many states to receive a failing grade from the State Integrity Investigation in the category of access to information.

Attack on an ethics watchdog

Ethics enforcement has also been a battleground. Back in 2002, five lawmakers were charged with illegally running political campaigns out of their state offices in what became known as the “caucus scandal.” All five were eventually convicted or pleaded guilty, and the fallout led lawmakers in 2007 to merge a largely ineffective state Ethics Board with the State Elections Board to create the Government Accountability Board.

The six-member board — all retired state judges — was charged with administering and enforcing Wisconsin law on campaign finance, elections, ethics and lobbying. But over the past three years, the board has been dragged into an ongoing, bitter partisan fight between Walker and the state’s Democrats. It started when local prosecutors initiated a secret investigation — using the John Doe system that Walker and the Legislature have since prohibited — into whether the governor and his allies had coordinated with independent political groups in 2012, in violation of campaign finance laws. Conservatives argued that no law had been broken, and the matter ended up before the state Supreme Court. The Wall Street Journal later reported that a staff counsel for the accountability board pushed an unsuccessful plan to force some conservative justices to recuse themselves from deciding on the Walker probe. Republicans charged that board staff members had taken sides.

In July, the Supreme Court ruled 4-2 in favor of Walker, finding that no laws were broken, in part because the state's campaign finance laws were "unconstitutionally overbroad and vague," and ordering the investigation to be closed.

Though Walker won out, state Republicans remained livid over allegations of the board's interference. Walker has called for the nonpartisan watchdog agency to be dismantled, and the Legislature is poised to do just that. Both houses have passed bills that would split the board back into two entities comprised of partisan appointments. The Assembly is slated to meet later this month to consider changes made by the Senate.

Campaign finance laws in tumult

As the campaign finance oversight agency has struggled, a series of federal court rulings has also challenged and undermined the laws it is charged with overseeing, forcing the board to back off enforcement of several campaign contribution restrictions. In addition, Walker’s budget bill in 2011 eliminated a state program for public campaign financing.

Since 2010, courts have struck down the state’s limits on how much corporations can spend to support and recruit for their political action committees — which had been capped at either $20,000 or 20 percent of the amount the committee had raised the previous year, whichever was greater — as well as the state’s “aggregate limits” on contributions — a cap on the total amount that an individual could contribute to all candidates and committees, once set at $10,000 per year.

The result has been a series of decisions by the accountability board to effectively cease enforcing many of the state’s limits on campaign contributions.

At a hearing last spring on legislative plans to rework the state’s campaign finance law, Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, an advocacy group, said both sides view the shifting legal environment as an opportunity. His organization wanted “to strengthen our once effective and widely admired campaign finance laws and return Wisconsin elections and state government to the citizens,” while others wanted to “deregulate” campaign financing in the state.

Lawmakers are now tweaking a rewrite of campaign finance law that, among other changes, would allow candidates and independent political groups to coordinate their operations under certain conditions — potentially legalizing the same practices that were the subject of the secret investigation into Walker's campaign. Both houses have approved versions of the changes, and the Assembly is expected to take up the Senate version when it meets later this month.

With Walker back in Wisconsin full time after ending his presidential run, he has refocused on his proposals — and added major changes to Wisconsin’s historic civil service system to his agenda. Partisan battles are a way of life in Madison.

This story is part of State Integrity 2015. How do each state's laws and practices deter corruption, promote transparency and enforce accountability?. Click here to read more stories in this investigation.

Wisconsin gets D grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation - Yahoo News

Obama's immigration action blocked again; Supreme Court only option left - Yahoo News

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's executive action to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation suffered a legal setback on Monday with an appeal to the Supreme Court now the administration's only option.Federal Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Against Obama's Executive Action On Immigration Huffington Post

The 2-1 decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to uphold a May injunction deals a blow to Obama's plan, opposed by Republicans and challenged by 26 states.

The states, all led by Republican governors, said the federal government exceeded its authority in demanding whole categories of immigrants be protected.

The Obama administration has said it is within its rights to ask the Department of Homeland Security to use discretion before deporting nonviolent migrants with U.S. family ties.

The case has become the focal point of the Democratic president's efforts to change U.S. immigration policy.

Seeing no progress on legislative reform in Congress, Obama announced last November he would take executive action to help immigrants. He has faced criticism from Republicans who say the program grants amnesty to lawbreakers.

In its ruling, the appeals court said it was denying the government's appeal to stay the May injunction "after determining that the appeal was unlikely to succeed on its merits."

Republicans hailed the ruling as a victory against the Obama administration.

John Scalise, the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, said in a Twitter message that the court decision was "a major victory for the rule of law."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement the ruling meant the state, which has led the legal challenge, "has secured an important victory to put a halt to the president’s lawlessness."

Obama's immigration action blocked again; Supreme Court only option left - Yahoo News

Belvidere plans to turn vacant lot near Coachlite apartments into city park - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

Ben Stanley
Staff writer

Posted Nov. 8, 2015 at 2:15 PM
Updated Nov 8, 2015 at 4:54 PM

BELVIDERE — A small park outfitted with a miniature soccer field could soon replace a patch of trees and grass in a densely populated neighborhood on the northwest side. The park is essentially cut off from the rest of the Belvidere park system.

Some aldermen say the site needs a small city park because children from the neighborhood must cross busy streets to reach recreational areas. Others say it would have made more sense to develop the land and collect the tax revenue.

The city approved a deal in October to acquire the parcel just west of the Coachlite apartments from Byron Bank and turn the lot, bordered by Christi Lane and High Line Street, into a public green space. The lot is vacant, except for the trees and a line of mailboxes, and it's surrounded by dozens of apartment buildings.

The city agreed to pay Byron Bank $10 for the land and split the cost of a soil study — about $1,800 — to be completed this fall.

"It was an excellent opportunity to do something in that neighborhood," Mayor Mike Chamberlain said. "We're going to create a small playground with a mini soccer field and a park in a neighborhood that doesn’t have a lot of green space."

The neighborhood is cordoned off by North Appleton Road and North State Street, which accommodate heavy traffic and could be hazardous for kids to cross. And it's more than a mile from Spencer, Belvidere, Doty and Prairie Field Sports parks.

"Some of these kids, if they’re 6 or 7 years old, they’re not going to be walking to those parks," said Ald. Wendy Frank, R-3, who voted in favor of the deal, as did Daniel Arevalo, R-2; Thomas Ratcliffe, R-3; Ronald Brooks, R-4; and George Crawford, R-4.

"It already was a green space," said Ald. Mark Sanderson, R-5, who opposed the agreement. "We have a park district that’s supposed to be taking care of parks. We shouldn’t be in the business of running parks in the city. They could’ve had apartments there or something like that. This takes it off the tax rolls." Also voting no: Clayton Stevens, I-1; Clinton Morris, I-1; Daniel Snow, R-2; and John Sanders, I-5.

The mayor broke the council deadlock.

"It’s a great thing for the city and great thing for the kids," Frank said. "There are hundreds of apartments out there and why not give these kids something?"

Once the soil study is completed, Chamberlain hopes the city can begin work this fall on the parcel — removing brush, planting grass, etc. — and complete the park by spring. No cost estimate was available.

Ben Stanley: 815-987-1369; bstanley@rrstar.com; @ben_j_stanley

Belvidere plans to turn vacant lot near Coachlite apartments into city park - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL