Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s ‘All In Illinois’ coronavirus slogan doesn’t apply to the state’s first lady living at Florida estate.

“Leading serious conservative thinkers like Andrew Biggs and E.J. McMahon have argued that any aid to Illinois or New York should come with substantial conditions, from changed accounting rules to requirements that defined benefit pensions be moved to 401(k)-style defined contribution plans. The only thing that may save states from substantial conditionality is divided power in Congress and an inability of Democrats and Republicans to agree on the terms of conditions.”

The same lawyer that scored a win for Bailey is making the pitch for Rep. John Cabello. The representative from Rockford is asking that he and all Illinois residents can be absolved.

Another $1 billion in bonds will be issued to pay for construction projects and voluntary buyouts of state pensions. By law, the short term borrowing must be repaid within a year. However, Pritzker’s budget office said projected revenues for the next fiscal year are expected to fall by $4.6 billion from previous projections.

Illinois Farm Bureau Vice President Brian Duncansaid consumers should prepare to adapt. He suggested learning how to process certain products at home. “So buying the whole chicken and cutting it into pieces instead of getting a chicken that’s already cut up,” Duncan said. “I think it will be hopefully a short-term disruption as far as choice and some of the availability, I think.”

Illinois Retail Merchants Association’s Rob Karr said retailers have been working with the governor’s office, but something has to give for businesses on the brink of breaking. “Because they’re watching an entire life savings, sometimes decades of family work, evaporating,” Karr said. “Many of them are telling me absent some kind of opening, they won’t make it to June 1.”

“When asked about other counties offering taxpayers effected by the COVID-19 health crisis a break, one Lake County Board member replied flatly: “They’re wrong.” He said several cash-strapped county taxing bodies, which strongly oppose delaying tax bills and the fee waiver, have threatened to sue the county for any action delaying tax payments.”

From Eric Zorn: “Our taxpayers in effect funnel money into their economies, money that props up their businesses and keeps their taxes and government spending lower than they would otherwise have to be. It’s nervy as hell for ungrateful politicians in recipient states ever to whine about “bailouts” or preen about how comparatively well managed they are.”

“There’s nothing in current law that prevents him from renewing that proclamation every thirty days indefinitely,” said Sen. Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods. “Anytime the governor is going to renew his proclamation of a disaster area, he [would need] General Assembly approval before he could do so.”

“I think there was a poll yesterday that showed the vast majority of people in the state – whether they are Democrats or Republicans – support the stay-at-home order, so I don’t think there is a partisan divide,” the governor said. “I do think that there are a few people who are trying to take political advantage at the moment – in the middle of the pandemic that is killing people – they’re politicizing it.”

“People do recover,” stressed Dr. Ngozi Ezike, head of the Illinois Department of Public Health. “The majority of individuals do recover.” Ezike said of the people who died in the past 24 hours, 80 percent were from northern Illinois, 14 percent were from southern Illinois and 6 percent were from central Illinois.

Illinois State Police released the following statement: “The Executive Order does not require or suggest that law enforcement should arrest or criminally charge conceal carry license permit holders for wearing protective masks while in public as long as they are complying with the other provisions of the Illinois Concealed Carry Act and are not committing any other violations of Illinois law. ISP has confidence that law enforcement officers across the state will use appropriate judgment and that elected State’s Attorneys will likewise exercise sound prosecutorial discretion.”

“We don’t have a finalized program yet due to the budget not being passed so the picture is still incomplete,” IDOT public information officer Paul Wappel stated regarding the state having more projects. “Generally, the answer is yes, with the passage of the governor’s Rebuild Illinois capital program last year, we are seeing much more investment in infrastructure across all modes of transportation.

Oak Park and River Forest High School board members gave unanimous approval to proceed with the upcoming $32.6 million campus renovation. Administrators had recommended postponing the construction project due to financial threats facing the state.

The appeal calls for a reversal of that ruling, and to dissolve Republican Rep. Darren Bailey’s temporary restraining order. On Monday, Clay County Circuit Judge Michael McHaney issued a temporary injunction so Bailey could disregard the stay-at-home order.

Comment: Good summary of what went on in the court yesterday.

Today, Illinois serves its creditors first, and the people only to the extent there’s any money left over. However labeled or implemented, reducing Illinois’s debt gives power to the people.

The governor said the attorney general’s office is handling the appeal process. “My team and I will fight this legal battle to the furthest extent possible, to ensure the public health and common sense and that those prevail,” Pritzker said. “In the interim, we will be issuing new public health directives, so that we can continue to respond to this public health crisis.”

Government leaders in Jasper and Monroe counties point to outbreaks at nursing homes in their respective areas, saying the majority of deaths come from one source. Said Brian Leffler, a member of the Jasper County Board, “That’s a bad deal, and everybody’s very sorry for it, but as far as keeping the whole county shut down because of it, I don’t know if that’s the answer.”

“Unlike Donald Trump, we proposed and passed and have effectuated a balanced budget for the year that we’re in,” Pritzker said. “To the extent that we’re talking about – and we are – about the federal government providing funding for states, all states need it now because coronavirus, COVID-19, has blown a hole in every state budget, all across the nation.”