-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Legislators are still trying to address issues raised by their constituents. Others are part of discussions, albeit remotely, on issues that must be addressed even if many others will be postponed indefinitely. Here’s how Springfield area lawmakers are dealing with their jobs in the age of the virus.
He said the state is adding more workers to its labs and technology to make the increase.
The Trump administration extended its social distancing guidelines through April 30 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to slow the spread. But some Illinois leaders said Sunday that some things could be implemented to slowly bring the shutdown economy back to life, like distancing regulations for small businesses.
“May 3 is the deadline for the General Assembly to pass legislation allowing a referendum on creation of a nonpartisan commission to draw legislative boundaries, replacing the highly politicized process now in place…Repeated surveys have shown the measure is immensely popular.”
Illinois suffered its sixth consecutive year of population decline in 2019, but new U.S. Census Bureau data shows that for the second year in a row those declines happened in every metropolitan area of the state.
Federal Reserve officials are reviewing new ways to support financing for state and local governments, many of which are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic and will face huge borrowing needs as revenues plunge, according to people familiar with the matter.
As of Sunday morning, the Illinois Department of Public Health said with 27,457 hospital beds in Illinois, around 15,500 were occupied. The occupancy rate for all beds is now at 56 percent. That’s up from 51.6 percent reported March 24.
She did not cite any particular spots that have become problematic, but a spokesman later said officials are keeping an eye on historically popular places such as the Busse Forest Elk Pasture, Bunker Hill and Caldwell Woods.
For decades, the Pritzker siblings — billionaires each — have been major philanthropists outside of their government, business and political portfolios. And in this war against COVID-19, a health and economic nightmare, Illinois has an advantage over other states in that the Pritzkers’ are working the philanthropy precincts — and opening their own wallets — to locally address this catastrophe.
“We can multi-task. We’ve fought world wars while also fighting depressions. And here’s the thing: Either we’re a democratic republic or we’re not. And right now, we hate to say, we are not.”
Because of improved economic conditions in the county, nearly 60,000 Cook County residents were at risk of losing their public benefits under fresh guidelines that took effect this year. But now, all able-bodied recipients will continue to receive benefits during the national emergency and get a one-month grace period when it ends.
Cook County mum on mysterious disappearance of site with data specific to suburbs.
Rep. Sonya Harper introduced legislation last month that would allow cannabis dispensaries to deliver weed. Now, she’s calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to take immediate action.
From Andersonville to Beverly, from Hyde Park to Humboldt Park, residents are working together to pressure rental companies and landlords into forgoing rent charges or evictions until things return to normal. They’ve posted signs, shared the #rentstrike hashtag and displayed white sheets from windows in a show of solidarity. “The moratorium we’re calling for, yes, it is an extraordinary policy intervention,” Guzzardi said. “But this is an extraordinary moment.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged Chicagoans to create a profile on Smart911, which will alert first responders to a caller’s medical information — including whether they are under quarantine — while they respond to calls for service. As of Saturday, at least 21 Chicago Police Department employees and at least eight Chicago Fire Department employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
Somehow, this otherwise unremarkable block of green space also became a nexus point between a number of people caught up in an ongoing federal corruption probe in the southwest suburbs.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security received close to 115,000 claims for the week of March 21 alone, an increase of nearly 1,400 percent compared to the same time period in 2019. The call center is fielding hundreds of calls per minute, state officials said.
A spokesperson for Mayor Lightfoot explained that retailers must still collect the city’s plastic bag tax, but they don’t have to pay it until the end of April.
Until now, Chicago Public Schools has been largely mum about the district’s plans to ramp up remote learning — though officials promised more details later this week.
The state has submitted two federal waivers requesting increased flexibilities around Medicaid coverage. If approved, the flexibilities will ensure that individuals, whether uninsured or insured, can receive Medicaid coverage for treatment if they have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
“Our early read is that this stimulus could have been crafted to do more for average Americans and small businesses rocked by layoffs, shutdowns and lost commerce. That said, there are a lot of elements we won’t be able to judge until the money starts flowing.”
Comment: Illinois is listed as “nonresponsive.” Pritzker said on Friday he will work to correct this. Let’s hope that’s true. There’s no excuse. Hospitals inventory the information at least once a day and there’s no reason why it can’t be forwarded.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is expected to remind people Friday that nobody should be forced to come to work at any business that does not qualify as “essential” during the pandemic. The City is also enforcing paid sick time rules during the “stay at home” order.
An over two-year budget impasse ruined much of the state’s finances. The state has $134 billion in unfunded pensions liabilities, a $7.7 billion bill backlog and poor bond ratings from Wall Street’s leading credit rating agencies. State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said Illinois’ rainy day fund has been drained to only $60,000 — not enough reserves in the safety net to run state government for 30 seconds.
By Illinois native Jonathan Turley
At least six women were released over the past week from the Decatur Correctional Center as the coronavirus pandemic raised fears the disease will take hold in the prison system. As of Friday, seven inmates and six staff members of the state’s prison system had tested positive for the virus.
“Farmers were already dealing with some really stressful times entering really our seventh year of depressed farm economy,” an Illinois Farm Bureau spokesperson said.
Under statute, the state is responsible for paying county fairs 66.67 percent of what organizers spent on agricultural premiums. That includes activities related to horticulture, poultry, livestock, horse races and rodeos. A spokesman for the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs said fair organizers “have never received that” — in recent years, they were reimbursed 25 percent of eligible costs.
Inside the $2 trillion bill, the largest relief measure ever passed, Illinois state and local governments are set to get $4.9 billion. That’s part of $150 billion all states and local governments will share in.
“One of its biggest strengths [of Illinois] is the market access and infrastructure where it ranks 10th overall. There we see it’s got a good transport system. It also has reasonably strong and good access to reliable electricity. And we’ve also seen an improvement in its internet access and speed, which is important for business.”
Marisa Novara, commissioner of the Department of Housing, said half of the grants will be awarded through a lottery to people who apply on the city’s website. The other half will be distributed by nonprofit organizations working in the neighborhoods.
“For more years than I care to remember, under presidents of both parties… I have stressed the importance of living within our means, paying the full cost of what we demand of our government and not piling needless obligations on future generations. There are many good moments for fiscal restraint. This is not one of them.”
The governor’s order is scheduled to expire April 7. So does his statewide order that closed all public and private schools. Lightfoot has ordered Chicago Public Schools closed through April 20.
Illinois now has 3,491 COVID-19 cases and 47 deaths after the governor announced 465 new cases of the virus Saturday. 13 more deaths were announced, including an infant and a state worker.
“We have never seen the economy stopped like this. You can go back 40, 50 years and you won’t see this level of unemployment in one week, and sort of the growth of it,” he said. “So it’s a sign of how serious the matter is. It’s a sign of how important it is that we limit the spread of this virus so we can get the economy restarted when it’s safe.”
The policies, vocabulary and impact of the pandemic may seem fresh to most Illinoisans, but those terms have long been part of a 15-year-old, 120-page document that’s the state’s guiding plan for responding to a pandemic.
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