Veterans Club complains of being illegally billed for Health Department Fees

 

Befow is the letter whcih Mr. Kelm read this evening at the Health and Human Services Committee of the Boone County Board.

After some heated discussion the committee deferred any decision concerning the matter.

To a large extent this is a continuation of an issue which arose from the Monday afternoon board meeting of the Health Department in which it was discovered that the VFW was paying fees even though it is an IRS tax exempt organization and as such not required to pay the fee.  The Board of Health indicated during their meeting that the matter will be placed on the agenda for their next scheduled meeting on Monday, February 29, 2016, (12:00 Noon) at the Health Department.

Are other non-profit groups paying fees to the Health Department for which they are exempt?  What about the American Legion?  Moose Club? IOU Club?

How could this all happen? What is going to happen now?

 

 

Below is the Boone County Code and the exemption (https://www.municode.com/library/il/boone_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=SUHITA_CH30FOFOES) which Mr. Kelm references: 

Sec. 30-35. - Submission and review of plans; permits.

(a)

Generally. Whenever a food service establishment or retail foodstore is constructed or extensively remodeled and whenever an existing structure is converted to use as a food service establishment, properly prepared plans and specifications for such construction, remodeling, or conversion shall be submitted to the regulatory authority for review and approval before construction, remodeling, or conversion is begun. The plans and specifications shall indicate the proposed layout, arrangement, mechanical plans, construction materials of work areas, and the type and model of proposed fixed equipment and facilities.

(b)

Permit required. Any business or organization desiring to operate as a food service establishment or retail food establishment must have a current food service permit.

(c)

Plans, inspection and approval. Before issuing a food service permit to a new establishment, plans must be submitted to and approved by the health authority. Plans submitted for review must be accompanied by the appropriate plan review fee as listed in section 38-31.

(d)

Full-year permit period. Full-year permits shall be valid from December 1 through November 30.

(e)

Renewal. Existing establishments which do not obtain their operation permit before December 1 shall, in addition to the required permit fee, be assessed a late charge as listed in section 38-31.

(f)

Partial-year permit. A food establishment may apply for one six-month permit for any consecutive monthly period during the current permit year. The fee for this permit shall be one-half of the annual fee for the applicable classification, plus the filing fee as listed in section 38-31.

(g)

Food establishment classifications. All food service establishments or retail food establishments shall be categorized according to their type of operation, size of operation, and risk category of the food prepared and/or served and shall obtain a permit for the class of operation as hereinafter defined. The listing of various types of operation is not intended to be all inclusive, but typical and not limited to those mentioned. If a food establishment is not specifically listed, it shall be classified according to the class to which it most closely resembles.

(1)

Class A: Fixed location food establishments which serve drinks only or food and drinks such as restaurants and taverns or other establishments of which the primary activity is food service.

A1: Food and drink, 0—50 seats.

A2: Food and drink, 51—100 seats.

A3: Food and drink, more than 100 seats.

A4(a): Beverage/prepackage, no prep.

A4(b): Sit down drink, no prep-reheat foods.

(2)

Class B: Banquet-type facilities which primarily serve organized gatherings such as schools, day care centers and banquet halls.

B1: Receive and serve only.

B2: On-site preparation.

(3)

Class C: Mobile food trucks, food trailers, caterers that do not have a county permit which covers the catering activity.

(4)

Class D: Any private or public food service establishments providing food for a limited time of not more than 14 consecutive days at a nonfixed location such as concession stands and other temporary food services.

(5)

Class E: Retail store which does not operate food preparation areas such as a bakery, butchery or delicatessen on site but sells only prepackaged food items.

(6)

Class F: Retail store which includes at least one on-site food preparation area such as a bakery, butchery or delicatessen.

F1: 1—2 check-out counters.

F2: 3—4 check-out counters.

F3: 5 or more check-out counters.

(7)

Class G: Vending machines.

(8)

Class H: Farmer's market. A temporary food stand which serves only category III foods, nonhazardous baked goods and grade A eggs, for no more than three days in a seven-day period and operates no more than six months per year. Such a market may consist of more than one vendor operating under one food permit and shall meet the following requirements:

a.

All participants in the market are in a single identifiable location.

b.

Participants are required to sign a contract with the organizer which specifies, at a minimum:

1.

Participants will comply with the county food code; and

2.

Participants must notify the organizer about changes in the types of food items being offered prior to offering them.

c.

The organizer will submit a participant information sheet for each participant operating under the permit. The information will include the following:

1.

Name, address and phone number of the participant.

2.

Menu of food items being offered.

(h)

Fee waiver. Bona fide not-for-profit agencies and organizations which operate food service establishments are subject to the permitting, inspection and other requirements of this Code with the exception of the payment of permit fees.

(i)

Failure to renew. When an existing establishment permit expires and a valid current permit is not obtained prior to commencing operations, the health authority shall be authorized to order the establishment closed until the proper permit has been issued.

(j)

[Temporary food establishments.] Temporary food establishments that serve only non-potentially hazardous food that is prepared, packed in individual servings, transported and stored under conditions meeting the requirements of this article, or beverages that are pre-packaged, non-potentially hazardous need not comply with the requirements of this section.

(Ord. of 3-8-1978, § 13; Ord. of 3-14-1979; Code 1981, § 8-26; Ord. No. 87-43, § 2, 11-12-1987; Ord. No. 94-32, 12-14-1994; Ord. No. 95-35, § 1, 11-8-1995; Ord. No. 99-38, 10-13-1999; Ord. No. 02-09, 2-13-2002; Ord. No. 11-33, 6-15-2011; Ord. No. 13-27, 11-20-2013)

 

New Area Rail spur in 2019?

 

UPDATE:   Thank you  Mr. Randall for your comment.  This story was submitted by one of our readers and the most recent WIFR newscast could not open —thus the most important information—the new route –was not published.  Thank you again.

ROCKFORD (WIFR) – Thousands of jobs could be coming to the Stateline, thanks to a new railroad project expected to bring business from Indiana to Wisconsin and now we’ve learned the 200 plus mile-long Great Lakes Basin Railroad is changing its course.

To the delight of Boone County Chairman Bob Walberg, the Great Lakes Basin Railroad is heading to his neck of the woods. Walberg says it’s a solution to the lack of freight the county has wanted for more than a decade.

“This rail would provide a great economic engine for the economics and freight part of it. And possibly with that extra rail line, it may even get used by passenger if that ever became a reality,” says Walberg.

The route, which previously ran to the west of Rockford, is being moved to the east side of Belvidere because of environmental challenges in Brodhead, Wisconsin. With so many state parks and water obstacles, the prices would have jumped because of added bridges.

Found Frank Patton says everything worked out for the better.

“If we went all the way through, once we got out of Winnebago County, we couldn’t get into Wisconsin. That was the killer. We ended up with a better route I think. It’s all a part of the process,” says Patton.

With the completion of the project still a few years away and the many hoops the rail group will have to jump through, Walberg is not getting too excited.

“We’ve got to regulate our enthusiasm a bit knowing that time will require something like this to take place and also there will need to be a lot of pieces to fall in line. We’ll be anxious to work with everyone on this project,” says Walberg.

Patton says the new maps will be re-drawn in the next few days before 8 to 10 public meetings will be set up along the route, including Rockford.

The founder says if everything remains on schedule, the entire project will be complete in 2019 or 2020.

ABOVE is from:  http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/Railroad-Re-routes-to-Boone-County-367446171.html

 

ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Skepticism is running wild on the massive 265 mile Great Lakes Basin Railroad project, however, organizer Frank Patton is chugging along with his $8B idea to bypass Chicago's congested lines.

"I'm used to it," Patton said. "I told my wife when we first started that she might look for a new optomotrist and she looked at me and said why is that? Cause you're going to be rolling your eyes so much. But the fact is that was two years ago and now we're on the STB treadmill and it's because it's a good idea."

The route will run west of Rockford and connect to a railhub near Chicago Rockford International Airport.

Patton says it would give potential businesses a link to ground, air and rail all in one place.

Winnebago County Chairman Scott Christiansen says this could make a longterm impact on the region.

"This is just another lynchpin for the next 100 years," said Christiansen. "This could be an enormous impact in the real sustainability. This will be the place to be when you're in that manufacturing and shipping mode."

The project was approved in September by the Surface Transportation Board. Now, Patton is working with crews to test the land surrounding the project and asking for community feedback along the way.

The progress has turned Christiansen into a believer.

"It sounded a little bit like Walt Disney at one time," Christiansen said. "If you can dream it, you can do it. It's well on its way. The progress report from the last time we met is unbelievable. I'm thinking the stars are lined up and this would be a tremendous thing for our area."

Patton says the environmental work should take the next two years to complete and cost somewhere between $25-50M.

He says if all goes well and the weather cooperates, the railroad should be completed by 2019.

 

Above is from:  http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/Great-Lakes-Basin-Railroad-Making-Progress-338552962.html

The GOP playbook for keeping ‘dark money’ dark

 

Election 2016 Government Transparency Nation & World News

The GOP playbook for keeping ‘dark money’ dark

February 4, 2016 Shane Nicholson 220 Views 0 Comment

By Robert Faturechi
ProPublica

How do you stop states and cities from forcing more disclosure of so-called dark money in politics? Get the debate to focus on an “average Joe,” not a wealthy person. Find examples of “inconsequential donation amounts.” Point out that naming donors would be a threat to “innocents,” including their children, families and co-workers.

And never call it dark money. “Private giving” sounds better.

These and other suggestions appear in internal documents from conservative groups that are coaching activists to fight state legislation that would impose more transparency on the secretive nonprofit groups reshaping U.S. campaign finance.

The documents obtained by ProPublica were prepared by the State Policy Network, which helps conservative think tanks in 50 states supply legislators with research friendly to their causes, and the Conservative Action Project (CAP), a Washington policy group founded by Edwin Meese, a Reagan-era attorney general.

Dark money is the term for funds that flow into politics from nonprofit groups, which can accept donations of any size but, unlike political action committees, are not required by federal law to reveal the identities of their donors. The anonymity has been upheld by courts that cite as precedent a 1958 Supreme Court ruling that the state of Alabama could not demand that the NAACP turn over a list of its members.

Since 2008, dark money groups have spent more than $690 million in federal races, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. A single group aligned with Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio helped buoy his standing in Iowa before Monday’s caucuses with $1.3 million in ads.

The same story is playing out on the state level. During the 2014 election cycle, 40 nonprofits spent $25 million on TV ads about state races, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity. That represented 3 percent of total ad buys, almost double the proportion that dark money paid for in 2010.

This year, 38 states are considering bills relating to disclosure, according to a database compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Some have already adopted rules. In 2014, California began requiring nonprofits that engage in campaign activity to live by many of the same disclosure regulations as traditional political committees. Montana decided last year that politically active nonprofits would have to disclose donors, and report any electioneering communications within 60 days of votes being cast.

A flyer distributed to members of the State Policy Network, which helps conservative think tanks in 50 states supply legislators with research friendly to their causes.

A memo distributed by CAP in January to conservative activists highlighted new disclosure rules being considered in Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington, as well as ethics bills in South Carolina and Texas that contain disclosure provisions.

Groups that are throwing their resources behind stricter campaign finance regulation include Common Cause, which has offices in 36 states, and the Democracy Alliance, an invitation-only organization composed of wealthy liberal donors. According to CAP, though, the initiatives to require disclosure not only pose a threat to free speech but also to the very existence of the nonprofits.

“This well-coordinated, well-funded effort to require conservative nonprofits like yours to divulge the names and addresses of your donors is all part of a plan to choke off our air supply of funding,” the group said in the memo.

The memo was signed by many leading voices on the political right, including anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist; top officials at Americans for Prosperity, an advocacy group backed by the Koch brothers political network; the Family Research Council; the Council for National Policy; and Heritage Action for America. It describes conservatives as “a persecuted class” and compares labeling private donations “dark money” to calling private ballots “dark voting.”

The State Policy Network, which on its website calls pro-regulation activists “enemies of debate,” distributed its documents at a conference held last fall in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The material includes a map of cities and states considering measures to “force disclosure of charitable giving” and a set of “questions that help people see the consequences of public disclosure.” Among them: “Do you think the government should be able to take down names and addresses of Americans and who they donate to? Do you think people should be targeted for expressing their opinions?”

The organization also urges its supporters to choose the right phrases to color the debate, shunning terms such as “activist,” “anonymous” or “dark money” in favor of “private giving,” “censor” and “silencing dissent.” Under the header “Framing the Issue,” a man is pictured with tape over his mouth.

Other documents give conservative activists tips on where to look for “efforts to stifle free speech,” for example in bills that deal with corruption or ethics, or that define electoral activity. “More than a dozen states have considered or passed legislation that changes the definition of electioneering communications to include the everyday activity of non-profit groups, like issuing a non-partisan voter guide,” one briefing says.

Meredith Turney, a spokeswoman for the State Policy Network, said in an interview that along with the materials provided to members, the organization is alerting nonprofits regardless of political orientation that the proposals would interfere with privacy and free speech.

“These laws will impact groups from Planned Parenthood to The Heritage Foundation and start-up movements like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter,” Turney said.

Arizona Democratic state senator Martin Quezada, who has been pushing dark money disclosure legislation since last year, said his goal is to let voters know which special interests might have influence over a candidate.

“My bill in no way limits anyone’s free speech. It doesn’t say they can’t spend that money. They’re free to spend that money all they want. It only requires that if you’re going to spend that money, you have to tell us who you are,” Quezada said.

The CAP memo also warns activists to snuff out a burgeoning alliance in some states between liberal groups seeking more disclosure and Tea Party-like conservatives who often oppose the Republican establishment. “The Left has turned the transparency concept on its head to dupe conservative legislators and well-meaning Tea Party groups to help advance their initiatives,” the memo said, citing a 2014 Tallahassee voter campaign finance initiative that capped contributions in city races at $250 and established an ethics office.

“Transparency is for government,” the group reminded conservative activists. “Privacy is for people.”

Dan Backer, a lawyer who signed the CAP memo, said the group’s organizing should be a warning to advocates of stricter campaign finance rules that his side will use “a variety of means” including litigation to preserve the privacy of donors. Backer helped bring the 2014 McCutcheon case in which the U.S. Supreme Court removed aggregate limits on direct contributions, which along with the 2010 Citizens United decision set the stage for a new flood of money into politics.

---

Related stories: For more of ProPublica’s coverage of politics and lobbying, check out our ongoing series, The Breakdown.

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for their newsletter.

 

ABOVE IS FROM:  http://rockrivertimes.com/2016/02/04/the-gop-playbook-for-keeping-dark-money-dark/

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says state will take control of Chicago schools

Darryl Grant

Chicago Political Buzz Examiner

In the latest tug of war between Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and the city Chicago, he announced at a press conference on Tuesday that he was prepared to give state control of Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s third largest school system, and the he had directed the State Board of Education to begin looking for an interim superintendent.

Against the background of a press conference, where he announced in a change of the the Illinois procurement process, he said, “The state’s going to be ready to step in and take action.”

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Rauner said, “I asked our administration. I believe it’s coming. I believe a state takeover is appropriate,” also noted that, “The teachers union on Monday unanimously voted to reject a four-year contract offer, citing a lack of trust and concerns about long-term school funding. The union’s decision to reject the agreement is likely to affect Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s attempts to salvage an $875 million borrowing plan announced last week.”

Drawing Mayor Rahm Emanuel into the fray, Rauner remarked, “I hope the rejection by the Chicago Teachers Union is a wake up call for the mayor and the taxpayers in Chicago and around the state. The mayor proposed an unaffordable contract. It was unaffordable. It was more kicking the can and just getting by and he was pushing off the day of reckoning and the teacher’s union still rejected that.” Observers suggest that Rauner feels that he can do a better job at the contract negotiations, than Emanuel and CPS can.

Adding to the contract rejection was an announcement from CPS chief, Forrest Claypool, who The Chicago Tribune reported on Tuesday saying, that “the district will unilaterally institute a key provision in the offer and stop picking up pension contributions for teachers,” and and that further administrative cuts of by $100 million, affecting support staff, will also begin. In his letter, also dated Tuesday, Claypool states that these steps are being taken,“for the financial health of the district, and are being implemented because we no longer have a choice but to implement them.”

In swift response, the Chicago Teacher’s Union, practically within minutes of Claypool’s announcement, said that they will file an unfair labor practice complaint. And, the Tribune also reported CTU President Karen Lewis saying that “the district's moves represented its ‘latest act of war,’” and furthermore that “union members would take to the streets this week to protest.”

“We are certain everyone who works in our public schools is facing a clear and present danger,” Lewis remarked, and also said that the news from Claypool was “forcing someone to agree to a bad deal by threatening them, we're not going to be bullied.”

In an emailed statement, the CTU said, “The Governor’s fantasy that he will invade the Chicago Public School system is a distraction from the real issues facing teachers and the students they serve. Mr. Rauner is unable to maintain control of the state’s fiscal health, let alone, take over a school district with severe revenue problems of its own making.Does he plan on sending in the Illinois National Guard to teach our children, take the chalk away from teachers and prepare school lunches? His idea is ridiculous and doesn’t pass the smell test.”

Hovering in the background are the financial moves that Emanuel and CPS say must happen before further cuts, and according to Crain’s Chicago will continue “as early as tomorrow with plans to sell as much as $875 million of bonds after the deal was postponed last week by investors asking for more time to evaluate the securities. "We have good momentum with our investors," Claypool said.

On the legislative side, there are no plans, or even existing legal provisions, by the Illinois General Assembly, for a takeover of CPS and according to the local CBS affiliate, CBS Chicago, “Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan already have made it clear Rauner’s plan is going nowhere with the Democratic-controlled legislature. Cullerton said the governor’s CPS takeover plan “is not going to happen,” and Madigan said it is “not the path we want to follow in Illinois.”

The contract negotiations rejected by the larger CTU bargaining group, and not Lewis’ executive negotiating group, were based on a cited lack of trust, are not in and of itself, unknown in contract negotiations. Yet, the ensuing drama, consistent with Rauner’s anti-union stance are seen, by some, as political theater, with Lewis saying as much, in Tuesday’s news conference: “Please don’t pay any attention to the ravings of a madman because that’s what he is.”

ABOVE IS FROM;  http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-chicago/darryl-grant

Koch brothers network ready to oppose Trump

 

By Jonathan Swan - 02/01/16 03:13 PM EST

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Donald Trump is so fiercely opposed by the Koch brothers network that some donors believe the powerful group will intervene to stop the billionaire if it looks like he could win the Republican presidential nomination.

"They are always very hesitant to get involved in a primary, but I think if they were going to do it, this would be the time because they just hate the guy,” said a donor who attended the Koch network’s winter retreat, held over the weekend at a luxury resort on the edge of Coachella Valley.

Both officials and donors within Charles and David Koch's powerful group hope the real estate tycoon's White House bid dies a natural death so the group can avoid spending a penny of its $889 million 2016 cycle budget against him. But the Koch network's conversations over the weekend concerning what to do about Trump were more detailed than previously revealed.  

On the eve of the Iowa causes, Koch network officials referred in a private meeting with donors  to focus group research that included a range of questions including some that identify Trump’s vulnerabilities. 

And some influential figures in the group — which held its largest gathering ever, with 500 donors attending the weekend gathering — believe that action against Trump would be needed if he emerges dominant out of the Feb. 9 primary in New Hampshire, where he holds a commanding lead in polls.

During a private planning session on Sunday morning, a senior Koch official ran through every presidential candidate, analyzing each one's strengths and weaknesses, said a source who attended the session.

When the official got to Trump, the tone shifted. Trump, the official said, has been on the opposite side of nearly every issue the Koch group cares about, such as taxes, trade and corporate welfare. 

“There's also a constitutional piece,” the same donor added. “The president's job isn't to go up there and be a Caesar-like figure.”

The Koch official shared for the first time focus group research showing that Trump’s popularity falls when voters are shown how working people have suffered as a result of his bankruptcies and business dealings in Atlantic City, N.J. Stories of Trump's efforts to enrich himself by hurting ordinary people proved most effective at generating negative views of Trump, donors were told.

Several older donors spoke passionately against Trump in the private session, and only one donor in the room made a half-hearted attempt to defend him.

Making an enemy of the Koch network is dangerous for any Republican politician. The group, founded by the billionaire industrialist brothers, comprises about 700 donors who give more than $100,000 annually to maintain their membership. 

The network has resources and technology rivaling the Republican Party's infrastructure and spent close to $400 million in 2015 on its goals to minimize the role of government in people's lives. But it also intervenes in electoral politics and will play a multimillion-dollar role in the 2016 presidential and Senate races.

The Koch network is holding off on endorsing a 2016 presidential nominee, though has narrowed its preferences down to five acceptable candidates: Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina.

A number of donors have been turned off of Bush recently, though, angered by the former Florida governor’s super-PAC, which spent some $20 million attacking Rubio, who aligns with the Koch network on many of its issues. 

These donors wonder why the super-PAC didn’t spend more of its record fundraising haul attacking Trump.

Some Koch donors are refreshed by Trump's style and his willingness to reject political correctness and speak his mind. But his past support for tax increases, universal healthcare and other liberal issues means, they say, he cannot be trusted.

“You have to judge Trump on his past statements, and while it's clear he's been on two sides of nearly every issue, the one side he's never been on is our side,” said the donor who attended the session but asked not to be named. The conversations were held in a setting that was closed to the small number of press allowed into the resort, which the Koch network rented out in its entirety and stocked with heavy security to prevent infiltration.

Six news outlets, including The Hill, agreed to ground rules in order to cover the event, including not naming donors unless without their permission.

Trump's support for ethanol subsidies is a particular sore point. A Koch official said that Trump filled out a network policy form saying he opposed ethanol subsidies but has since told audiences in Iowa that he thinks the Environmental Protection Agency should work to increase the amount of ethanol blended into the nation’s gasoline supply. In Iowa, the federal policy boosting ethanol production is politically sacred.

Trump's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

And given the Koch group's libertarian philosophy, many donors are appalled by what they see as Trump's vision of himself as a king-like figure who believes that he alone can rescue America.

Summing up the general mood was Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, who was applauded when he said in a dinner speech, “The way to make America great again is not by abandoning the Constitutional limits and saying to some guy, ‘Would you be our king?’ ”

“We can’t give Trump a pass when we don’t know what he stands for.”

Yet the dangers of attacking Trump are keenly understood — he is famously retaliatory — and a number of sources within the Koch network stressed that if an attack against Trump can be avoided, it will be. 

This is not the first time the Kochs and Trump have been at odds.

The Kochs declined to invite Trump as one of the presidential candidates to attend a donor gathering last summer. The attendees were Rubio, Bush, Cruz, and Fiorina.

In response, Trump unloaded on Twitter. "I wish good luck to all of the Republican candidates that traveled to California to beg for money etc. from the Koch Brothers. Puppets?" the billionaire wrote.

Donors and officials worry that a large-scale assault against Trump could encourage him to run as a third-party candidate, which could result in Hillary Clinton winning the White House in a way similar to how her husband did in 1992. That year, another populist billionaire, Ross Perot, ran as an independent and peeled a large number of voters away from the Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush.

There is also a concern that spending a large amount of money against Trump could help him sell his narrative of being a populist lined up against the establishment and special interests

Conversations over the weekend suggested that there are a small number Koch figures who remain hopeful that even if Trump does become the nominee, he can be persuaded to adopt more free market policies.

Luke Hilgemann, the CEO of Americans For Prosperity, the main activist group of the Koch network, told The Hill, “If Donald Trump becomes the nominee he’s going to need a lot of help with establishing what his platform is and I think we have that platform." 

“You’re going to see the nominee and the party come on board with the fact that our network is the one that’s setting the agenda for the American people, because we have actually talked to them and asked them what their priorities are.”

Koch donor Doug Deason told The Hill that while he doesn't support Trump he thinks the billionaire could ultimately stand up for "free enterprise." 

“I like him OK," said Deason, a Texas businessman who supported his state's former Gov. Rick Perry’s failed presidential bid but says he is now on the verge of donating to Cruz. 

"He’s a successful man." 

ABOVE IS FROM;  http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/267766-koch-brothers-network-ready-to-oppose-trump

Pension bill on hold despite Rauner, Cullerton agreement

• SARA BURNETT The Associated Press
• Updated 10 hrs ago

 

CHICAGO — Democrats are unlikely to address Illinois's worst-in-the-nation pension crisis until the state has a budget, despite a rare agreement between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Senate President John Cullerton and calls from the governor to send him a bill "right away."

Rauner announced last month that he's backing a Cullerton plan to give workers a choice in retirement benefits as a way to chip away at Illinois' $111 billion unfunded pension liability. He struck an optimistic tone in last week's State of the State speech, calling it one of the most critical steps lawmakers can take to save taxpayers money.

But Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, says it will be even tougher than usual to pass pension legislation this year because of upcoming elections, opposition from labor unions, an Illinois Supreme Court ruling that declared a previous law unconstitutional and the ongoing state budget saga. A pension bill could be part of a broader deal between Rauner and majority Democrats on a budget and other issues, he said — a process that's likely to take several months, if not longer.

+1 

Cullerton

"With the union opposition and without 100 percent of Republicans on board, it's going to be difficult," Cullerton said. "Just like everything else this year, people want to know what the big picture is."

Rauner's office said Monday that "there should be no good policy reason to delay moving the bill" once it's drafted, noting the governor has agreed to use language written by Cullerton's staff.

"Failure to act swiftly on pension reform could be a signal the legislature is putting politics ahead of good policy, so we expect both Chambers to act on it right away," Rauner deputy chief of staff Mike Schrimpf said in an emailed statement.

Cullerton called Rauner's support "very important," but said it's not as simple as the governor seems to think.

"Passing a bill is something I've had more experience at that than he has," he said.

Illinois is providing only about 40 percent of what's needed to pay pension benefits, due largely to lawmakers who for years skipped making the state's contributions. As a result, its annual payments have ballooned to about $7 billion — roughly one-fifth of Illinois's general funds budget.

Lawmakers approved legislation in 2013 that cut pension benefits, but unions sued, saying the Illinois Constitution prohibits retirement benefits from being reduced. In May, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed.

AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan, a spokesman for a coalition of unions that's led the fight to protect pensions, said they believe Cullerton's plan also is unconstitutional.

He said the unions are willing to discuss other options, but "the phone hasn't rung in a long, long time."

"Our (public employees) worked long and hard to battle for their pension benefits, and there is no appetite to sit down and discuss legislation that's going to diminish those benefits," Carrigan said, adding that getting a budget is unions' top priority.

Cullerton said he believes his approach is constitutional and he plans to sit down with union officials to discuss both the "legal side" and the "political side." He also will present the legislation to Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan once it's drafted.

Schrimpf said Cullerton's attorneys are expected to send their legislative language to Rauner's office by the middle of this week.

Rauner and majority Democrats have been at odds over how to close a roughly $5 billion budget deficit, leaving Illinois without a spending plan for the fiscal year that started July 1 and causing deep cuts to social services and other programs. Rauner wants pro-business changes before he will sign off on a tax increase, but Democrats say his agenda would hurt the middle class.

Cullerton said he's hopeful a budget deal could be reached by May, adding he doesn't think the stalemate will last through the November elections.

"I hope not," he said. "I can't imagine it."

ABOVE IS FROM:  thesouthern.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/pension-bill-on-hold-despite-rauner-cullerton-agreement/article_e2186959-c43e-54db-ae4d-5c200c123b66.html

Letter: Gov. Rauner perpetuates a rigged system

Kudos to the Tribune for printing Dan Montgomery's article challenging many of the Tribune’s assertions in supporting Gov. Bruce Rauner's agenda. His quote, “The lowest-earning 20 percent of Illinois taxpayers paid more than 13 percent of their income in state and local taxes, while the top 1 percent of taxpayers paid only 4.6 percent of their income,” correctly illustrates the income inequality partly responsible for the financial disaster in Illinois.

Rauner has opposed a graduated income tax, a tax on millionaires or a tax on financial transactions. Not only would they adversely affect his income, but his rich friends and supporters would be upset they couldn't amass more wealth and power. I can just imagine what Sheldon Adelson and the Koch brothers say: These tax plans would destroy the economy, punish job creators and create a socialist country.

So, we continue to follow “the Republican way”: destroy unions, tax the middle class and poor and allow the fat cats to accumulate more wealth via a rigged system. Then blame Barack Obama and the Democrats.

— Tom Minnerick, Elgin