Drugs – cannabis possession
·
Governor Rauner consults with Illinois
State Police on cannabis possession bill. A measure passed by both
houses of the Illinois General Assembly this spring will, if signed into law, reduce criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of
marijuana. Current law (the Cannabis
Control Act) sets up a complex table of penalties for simple possession of
cannabis. Under the law, simple
possession of less than 10 grams of pot (less than 0.4 oz.) cannot be charged
higher than a Class B misdemeanor. Under
the law, a judge may sentence someone convicted of a Class B misdemeanor to up
to six months in county jail.
Few cases of possession of this volume of cannabis result in
substantial county jail time. A
perpetrator is more likely to face a multi-stage disposition that may include
court supervision, payment of a fine, mandatory substance abuse counseling, and
return to the court at a later date to determine whether the disposition should
remain part of a public record that names the defendant. The legislation currently on the Governor’s
desk, SB 2228, takes steps to reclassify the possession of very small
quantities of cannabis from a misdemeanor criminal offence to a civil
offense. Instead of being arrested,
defendants would be issued a citation and face a different court process to
dispose of their case. They would pay a fine of $100 to $200 for a first offense. 16 other states have already reclassified the
possession of small quantities of cannabis as a civil offense.
News reports indicate that some facets of law enforcement have
mixed feelings about SB 2228. Many
police officers privately see the enforcement of criminal penalties against
persons caught with small quantities of pot as an unwanted distraction during a
time of unprecedented challenges against law enforcement. However, the ability of law enforcement to
maintain the threat of a misdemeanor criminal prosecution against a defendant,
and to bring the defendant to trial, is seen as a valuable tool in overall peace
officer strategy. In addition, reducing
the potential maximum penalty against persons accused of this offense is seen
as “sending the wrong signal” by many.
Governor Rauner’s office has told the press and the General
Assembly that the Governor is consulting with the Illinois State Police and
inquiring about the continuing concerns raised by some facets of the law
enforcement community. The chief
executive has until August 15, 2016 to take final action on SB 2228.
Economy – Intersect Illinois
·
New State job-creation agency gets
name. ‘Intersect
Illinois,’ the name of
the new agency, reflects the Prairie State’s position as a focus of U.S.
nationwide transportation infrastructure.
Intersect Illinois was created as a spinoff from the Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).
Set up to be similar to job-creation agencies in other states such as
Georgia and Wisconsin, Intersect Illinois will share traits of the private and public
sectors. It will be in charge of
“selling” Illinois to potential job creators.
The new name was announced on Monday, July 25.
Intersect Illinois, created by executive order of Gov. Bruce
Rauner, has already begun selling Illinois as a place to work and invest. On Tuesday, July 26, for example, Amazon.com
announced their decision to open a new 750,000-square-foot
order fulfillment center in Romeoville.
No local or state tax breaks were offered to Amazon in exchange for the
decision, which concentrated on the infrastructure advantages enjoyed by
Romeoville and other locations along the Chicago-area’s I-55 corridor.
Education – dyslexia – Rep. Patti
Bellock
·
Governor signs key Bellock bill.
HB 4352 strengthens the education of children with dyslexia by
establishing a statewide definition of this condition. The new law also mandates the Illinois State
Board of Education (ISBE) to include the definition in their future contacts
with schools. The bill, introduced and
sponsored by Representative Patti Bellock, was signed into law by Gov. Bruce
Rauner on Friday, July 22.
“Children with dyslexia must not be left behind in the classroom,”
Bellock asserts.
Defining dyslexia and moving toward making the definition an integral
part of educational target management will enable teachers to recognize the
presence of this condition in classrooms.
Teachers and educators will be able to fight back against the perverse
incentive to ignore children with dyslexia as a way of keeping their test
scores high. They will be able to
integrate the presence of children with dyslexia into their classroom plans and
reading instructions.
The bipartisan-sponsored HB 4352 was unanimously approved by the
House and Senate. It goes into effect
immediately.
Gambling – Illinois State Lottery
·
Tougher process put in place to select
a long-term private partner. The announcement of a new search to select a private
operating partner for the Illinois State Lottery was made by Gov. Bruce Rauner
on Thursday, July 28. The Rauner administration has requested
eligible firms to bid for a long-term contract to manage and operate the
Lottery’s day-to-day operations. The RFP
request includes terms and conditions meant to protect the interests of the
State, its taxpayers, and the K-through-12 educational institutions that are
the legal recipients of State lottery profits.
Illinois takes in more than $670 million in net Lottery revenues
annually. Popular Lottery tickets
include daily games, scratch-off-games and multi-state jackpot games.
Current law allows the Department of the Lottery to work with a
private partner, and the administration of former Gov. Pat Quinn inked a plan
in September 2010 to turn over much of the day-to-day operations of the Lottery
to the Northstar Lottery Group. The 2010
Northstar privatization announcement was accompanied by a great deal of fanfare
as to how many new lottery tickets would be sold and how much increased
revenues would be paid by the private partner to the State. Unfortunately, as soon as the privatization
agreement was implemented Northstar’s ticket sales and payments to the State
fell badly short of projections. The
Rauner administration took steps upon taking office in January 2015 to sever
the State Lottery/Northstar partnership agreement and begin to phase out
operating ties with Northstar.
Governor Rauner told reporters that one of his top priorities would
be to craft a partnership agreement that would create mutual incentives for the
private partner and the underlying owner of the lottery, the State of Illinois,
to look towards Lottery innovation and growth.
The RFP specifies that the projected length of the private partnership
will be 10 years.
Guns – concealed carry
·
Illinois State Police reports on
implementation of concealed carry law. In 2013, Illinois became
the 50th and final state to allow the concealed carrying of guns by
license, permit, or as of right. In the
Prairie State, persons seeking to carry a concealed firearm must undergo
training and get a license from the State Police. More than 181,000 Illinois residents had obtained licenses as of June 1, 2016.
While passage of the Illinois concealed-carry law was delayed by
debate and concerns, including concerns from some facets of law enforcement, a
recent press account indicates that these concerns have
largely subsided. Police and law
enforcement leaders say they see few problems with the new law. The training requirement imposed on
first-time applicants by the Illinois concealed-carry law includes instruction
in firearm safety.
Continued concerns about the law from firearms’ rights advocates
center on issues of interstate concealed-carry permissions and
reciprocity. Some states, such as
Arizona, allow persons to carry concealed weapons as of right without a
training or licensure requirement. On
the other hand, some other states (led by California and New York) have tougher
concealed-carry licensure requirements than Illinois.
Health care – 3-D mammography – Rep.
Michael McAuliffe
·
Breast tomosynthesis mandate signed
into law. The technology for improved breast imaging,
sometimes called “3-D mammography,” is already in place. SB 466, sponsored in the Illinois House by
Rep. Michael McAuliffe, will improve screening for Illinois breast cancer by
directing health insurance policies to cover this existing procedure. Instead of a single X-ray taken from a single
direction, breast tomosynthesis captures an image of the breast through a
series of X-rays from different angles.
The individual bits of X-ray data are aggregated through software into a
complex image. Tumors hidden by dense
tissue can be seen by a skilled radiologist.
“This bipartisan legislation signifies the commitment of the
General Assembly to the fight against breast cancer,” McAuliffe stated as the bill was signed into law. “The best way to fight cancer is with early
detection.” Statistics compiled by the
Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) indicate that 10,290 Illinois women
will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016.
Historically, diagnoses of breast cancer make up almost one-third of
invasive cancer diagnoses in Illinois women, with as many as 1 in 8 Illinois
women expected to face this diagnosis at least once in their lives.
With McAuliffe’s sponsorship leading the way, the House
unanimously approved SB 466 in May 2016 by a vote of 114-0-0. Governor Rauner signed the measure into
Illinois law as P.A. 99-588 on Wednesday, July 20.
Housing – Illinois home prices
·
Illinois Realtors report prices
continuing on upward trend. The report from
the Illinois Association of Realtors showed that June 2016 median Illinois home
prices had risen 5.8% in comparison to June 2015, and a greater percentage of
the homes listed for sale turned over in the summer month. The statewide median home price rose during
this period from $192,800 to $204,000.
Home sales typically slow down in summer, with high-end homes
taking a more prominent place within the overall year-round market. The year-to-date median Illinois home price
is $183,174, significantly lower than then June 2016 median. On the other hand,
the six-month median Illinois home price was up 7.3%, displaying continued
strength within the broad base of the market made up by middle-class
homes.
Low mortgage interest rates continued to play a role in the
overall Illinois housing price recovery.
The monthly average commitment rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage
was 3.57% in June 2016. As in previous
months, median homes within the city of Chicago were significantly more
expensive than houses in other parts of Illinois.
Human rights – cellphone surveillance
·
New law requires police to target
their surveillance of wireless phone data. The new Citizen Privacy Protection Act limits the use of the
widely-discussed transmitter called “Stingray,” which has been extensively
marketed to police forces. Stingray
transmitters broadcast a signal that looks like a cell site. The phony ‘repeater’ is treated as a friend
by all of the cellphones within electronic earshot, and the devices promptly
share the phone’s location and who it is talking to or texting at the
time.
Police forces naturally want to gather as much information as they
can on criminals and suspects.
“Stingray,” however, does not know or care who is a target of criminal
investigation, and sweeps in this key information about everybody. In order to control the use of “Stingray” and
related technologies, the new law requires police to delete the phone
information of all non-investigation-targets within 24 hours. The law also forbids police from accessing
data for use in an investigation not authorized by a judge through warrant or
other process.
The Citizen Privacy Protection Act was introduced in the General
Assembly as SB 2343.
In the House, it was co-sponsored by House Republican Representatives
Peter Breen and David Leitch. Governor
Bruce Rauner signed SB 2343 into law on Friday, July 22, as P.A. 99-622.
Jobs – June 2016 unemployment rate
·
Illinois jobless rate declines to
6.2%, but total Illinois jobs also decline. Since the commencement of
the 2008 economic downturn, Illinois’s job-creation and jobless figures have lagged the national numbers enjoyed by the
other 49 states. This pattern continued
in June 2016, with the State’s nonfarm payroll totals declining by 2,200 jobs
from May 2016. Illinois continues to
have fewer (6,003,600) payroll jobs within State lines than were counted
sixteen years ago in September 2000.
June 2016 statewide unemployment rates also dropped from 6.4% (May 2016)
to 6.2% (June 2016), with the State’s total labor force declining due to
outmigration and persons of labor age leaving the Illinois job market.
Jobs numbers compiled in June by the Illinois Department of
Employment Security (IDES) show continued weakness in manufacturing, with more
than 9,000 Illinois factory jobs lost between June 2015 and June 2016. This 12-month trend line indicates a
continued shift by the Illinois economy from manufacturing employment to
employment in leisure, hospital, professional services and business
services. Over the shorter, 30-day
period between May 2016 and June 2016, Illinois’ weakness was concentrated in
educational and health services, with 7,300 jobs lost during this one-month
period.
Throughout Illinois when measured by region, the overall job-creation
picture showed a net gain of 39,700 new payroll job positions
on a year-to-year basis, an increase of less than 1%. Within Illinois, some areas gained jobs and
some lost jobs during this period. Job
gains were concentrated in metropolitan Chicago and adjacent Lake County, with
a net gain of 53,700 jobs in the year-to-year period. Job losses were concentrated in
nonmetropolitan Downstate counties, with a net loss of 16,500 jobs in the
largely-rural counties of Illinois.
There was also significant weakness in the
traditionally-farm-machinery-oriented Quad Cities metropolitan area, with a net
loss of 5,500 jobs in the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island area. Declining prices for crude oil and corn-based
ethanol weighed upon economic trends in these areas.
IDES continues to work to improve Illinois’ jobless picture and
enable people who are between jobs to find new employment. Applicants for new employment and Illinois
unemployment benefits are requested to post an online resume on the Illinois
Job Link webpage as part of their contacts with the
Department.
Transportation – dropping object onto
motor vehicle – Rep. Brian Stewart
·
New law applies to objects dropped
from nearby hills or buildings. Current State law creates
the felony of vehicular endangerment, meant to catch and punish people who drop
objects onto moving motor vehicles. The
crime is a Class 2 felony for which the perpetrator may be
sentenced to a term in State prison of 3-7 years.
The original definition of “vehicular endangerment” applied solely
to objects falling from highway overpasses, because those are the places from
which dropped objects are most dangerous.
However, the law of gravity means that items can be thrown or dropped
onto moving vehicles from many other locations, including hills, buildings and
highway ramps. A retired sheriff’s
deputy, Representative Brian Stewart of Freeport is aware of the danger to
motor vehicle drivers and passengers from this criminal act. This year, he was the lead sponsor of HB 6010 to expand the definition of vehicular
endangerment to include objects from a variety of starting points. Gov. Bruce Rauner signed HB 6010 into law on
Thursday, July 28 as P.A. 99-656.
Transportation – motor vehicle
registration stickers – Rep. Thomas Bennett
·
Rep. Bennett leads adoption of
registration-sticker idea. Almost all private owners of motor vehicles
registered in Illinois must annually re-register their vehicle and pay a
fee. Proceeds from the fees are sent to
the Secretary of State’s office and help pay the operating expenses of its
Driver Services division. Approximately 10.4 million vehicles are registered for legal
driving in Illinois. The office used to
send out annual reminder letters to tell vehicle owners when it was time to
renew, but has ceased to do so. Some
motor vehicle owners have not been able to re-register their motor vehicles and
add new stickers to their license plates in a timely manner, leading to law
enforcement citations.
Representative Thomas Bennett, who represents a district centered
on Pontiac, Illinois, has long private-sector experience in database
management. In spring 2016, he sponsored
HB 5651, a bill to allow motor vehicle owners
to “opt out” of any current 12-month annual registration sticker renewal cycles
they may be in, and to choose a new sticker based upon their birthday. Starting from the premise that motor vehicle
re-registration is a data input problem and that few people forget their birthdays,
Rep. Bennett asserted that using this familiar day as a benchmark would sharply
reduce incidents of re-registration neglect for those motorists that choose to
adopt the new cycle.
The Secretary of State is authorized by this bill to offer the
birthday-re-registration option. The
bill applies to all cars and to light trucks weighing not more than 8,000
pounds. Governor Bruce Rauner signed
this measure into law on Thursday, July 28 as P.A. 99-644. It will not go into effect until the
Secretary of State’s office gives it an official approval and adopts
administrative rules to implement the new re-registration policy.
Transportation – Train crossing
violations; speedier Amtrak trains
·
Train crossing violation fine is
doubled; long-awaited 110-mph service gets closer.
A multi-year project of track refurbishment and rebuilding on the
railroad corridor that connects Joliet, Illinois with St. Louis, Missouri is
approaching its final phase.
According to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), the final phase
will include the installation of numerous pieces of warning infrastructure,
including crossing gates, signals, sensors, and road signs. The infrastructure will try to prevent
motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians from getting in the way of trains
running at speeds up to 110 mph.
The Amtrak trains that shuttle back and forth between Chicago and
St. Louis are currently limited to a top speed of 79 mph for almost all the
route. An improved roadbed, better
signals and warnings, and the installation of security fencing will make it
legally possible for the trains to speed up.
The new signals will prevent legal crossing of the railway roadbed for
longer periods of time (up to 90 seconds) before the train approaches the
crossing.
Illinois law already imposes a fine upon the driver of a vehicle
that trespasses into a railroad grade crossing when a warning signal is showing
and sounding. The fine for a first
offense, currently $250, will on January 1, 2017 become $500 under P.A. 99-663, (SB 2806), signed by Governor Rauner
on Thursday, July 28. Law enforcement is
expected to intensify their monitoring grade-crossings and their signals
following implementation of the new law in 2017, especially along the Chicago-St.
Louis fast train route. The bill was
sponsored in the House by Representative Mike Tryon.
Autumn in Illinois – Waterfowl seasons
announced
·
Season announcement for 2016-17 covers
ducks, geese, and teal. The first waterfowl season will allow the
taking of Canada geese and will open on September 1. Other seasons will open thereafter. The seasons open and close according to a schedule devised by
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) in
order to maintain the populations being hunted.
Licensed hunters are requested to adhere to bag limits and other
regulations established for this purpose.
The seasons cover a variety of ducks, geese, mergansers and teal.
Week in Review
·
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