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Sun-Times: Burris Out In 2010

Progress Illinois — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:46:17 -0700

Well, that was a whole lot of hassle for two years in Washington. The Sun-Times has the scoop:

Sneed has learned U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has decided NOT to seek election to the seat he fought the government to keep.

Sen. Burris is planning to announce his decision Friday by issuing a statement to the press. But he’s reportedly not planning to field any questions from the press.

The decision by Burris was based on his inability to raise campaign funds; campaign disclosures with the Federal Election Commission are expected to be filed next week...and he has reportedly only raised approximately $20,000

Mending The Holes In Our Social Safety Net

Angela Caputo — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:25:04 -0700

Over the past few months, we've been chronicling the holes in Illinois' safety net created by the short-sighted welfare reforms instituted in the mid-Nineties. Regular readers know that the work requirements attached to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program were pitched at the time as a way to empower people to reenter the workforce. But as the booming job market went bust, many of the Prairie State's poorest families failed to find steady work and have since been tipped toward deep poverty with no hope for aid.

Not surprisingly, the same scenario is playing out in states across the country.

In its latest round of research on the effectiveness of public assistance programs, the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) found that 1.3 million fewer children would be living in extreme poverty had the safety net been as sturdy in 2005 as it was in 1995.

The report explains:

The erosion of the safety net’s antipoverty effectiveness was concentrated at the very bottom of the income scale ... for children whose non-safety-net income was below 50 percent of the poverty line, the share lifted above half of the poverty line dropped from 88 percent to 76 percent, a decline of 12 percentage points.

With the economy skidding further into a recession and statewide unemployment now pushing past 10 percent, even the bright spot in the TANF reform -- success in dragging more working-poor people across the poverty line by supplementing their meager wages -- has been dim here in Illinois. Heartland Alliance's Tim Klein explained in a recent blog post:

Compared to the rest of the country, Illinois is woefully underachieving in making sure eligible families are accessing the program. Illinois only provides TANF cash assistance to nine percent of all children in the state who are eligible for those services - the very services that provide the most important safe guards in keeping children out of poverty.

Fortunately, supplemental spending under the stimulus plan has provided a buffer for millions of struggling households. By boosting food stamp benefits, expanding the Earned Income Tax and Child Tax credits, and creating incentives for states to modernize their unemployment insurance rules and reform TANF (both of which Illinois has taken advantage of), CPBB estimates that 1 million additional children were spared from poverty this year. But, as the New York Times notes, it's only a short-term fix:

Even after growth resumes, all signs are that the recession’s impacts will be protracted, said Harry J. Holzer, a labor economist at Georgetown University. “We’ll not only see an increase in poverty and unemployment, but those numbers are not going to improve quickly,” Mr. Holzer said. [...]

“It’s a good thing we have the stimulus package,” [CBPP researcher Arloc] Sherman said. “But what happens to the most vulnerable families in two years, when most of the provisions expire?

That's a question other economists have been asking as well. University of Michigan economist Sheldon Danziger told the Times that the lack of resilience during an economic downturn brings “a new focus on the need for expanding and modernizing the social safety net.” Considering the growing body of evidence on the efficacy of these investments -- look no further than the 14 million people (noted in the CBPP graph above) who were lifted out poverty in 2005 -- bolstering the safety net to catch more of those in need is clearly good public policy. As TANF comes up for federal reauthorization next year, that would be a good place to start.

Around The Horn

Progress Illinois — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:45:17 -0700

Below are our daily picks from the Illinois blogosphere and media at large

Unsolved Mysteries
According to the Reader, a City Council hearing on the parking meter lease -- squeezed in just before the Fourth of July weekend -- raised more questions than it answered.

Overweight State
A whopping one in four Illinois adults are obese. The Trib's Judith Graham runs down the new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Boxer Delay
The cap-and-trade bill, once fast-tracked by the Obama administration, has slowed down after a key congressional committee said today it won't release its draft of the bill until after Congressional recess in September. Streetsblog has an update.

To receive our “Around The Horn” update in your inbox every afternoon—along with links to our top stories and the breaking news of the day—sign up for the Progress Illinois Extra. You can also learn what we're reading via our Twitter feed.

Number Of The Day: 14,757

Josh Kalven — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:16:14 -0700

That's how many people we've so far identified as affected by the cuts happening at private social service agencies across the state. These groups run the gamut from homeless shelters to afterschool programs to addiction treatment centers to programs for the developmentally disabled. The list goes on from there. Because the 2010 fiscal year began on July 1 without a state budget in place, adminstrators at these agencies don't know how much public funding they will receive this coming year and are scaling back their workforces and services as a result.

With your help, we've so far identified nearly 60 affected providers (and we're in the process of verifying numerous others). Together, these organizations have sent layoff notices to over 1,425 employees. Many of them have also given us estimates of how many of their clients will lose services as a result of these cuts. From the figures we've received at this point, we're estimating that at least 13,332 individuals will be affected. Of course, the actual number is certainly much, much larger.

As I we post this, more information is hitting Progress Illinois' inboxes. By the time legislators head back to Springfield early next week, the list -- as well as the numbers cited above -- is sure to be much, much longer.

Again, thanks to all those who've helped us compile this information. If you see any news reports or have any information on affected social service providers, you can reach us at: contact@progressillinois.com.

Citizen Action Launches Ad In Support Of Senate Tax Plan

Adam Doster — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:40:48 -0700

Pressure is mounting on lawmakers to reach some agreement on the state's budget deficit. With the state facing massive social service cuts, Gov. Pat Quinn has already vetoed what he considered an underfunded social service appropriations bill and an overfunded operating budget. An override of the latter is possible, as Sen. James Meeks noted in the SouthtownStar today. But even if that portion of the budget is ultimately approved, deep cuts would still be required unless the General Assembly agreed on a new source of revenue (i.e. an income tax increase).

Of course, the Meeks tax plan (HB 174) that passed the Senate in late May is still sitting on the table. And Citizen Action/Illinois is using the airwaves to remind certain legislators of that fact. Beginning today, the group is running television ads on cable stations in 21 Illinois House districts asking "key representatives" to support HB 174, calling it "a responsible solution to addressing the long-term structural deficit in Illinois while providing relief from regressive taxation." Watch it (this version targets Rep. Donald Moffitt):

Below is the full list of targeted lawmakers:

Daniel Beiser (D-Alton)
Mike Bost (R-Carbondale)
John Bradley (D-Marion)
Rich Brauer (R-Springfield)
John Cavaletto (R-Salem)
Lisa Dugan (D-Kankakee)
Roger Eddy (R-Hutsonville)
Robert Flider (D-Decatur)
Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria)
Jay Hoffman (D-Collinsville)
Thomas Holbrook (D-Belleville)
Bill Mitchell (R-Forsyth)
Jerry Mitchell (R-Rock Falls)
Donald Moffitt (R-Galesburg)
Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg)
Raymond Poe (R-Springfield)
Robert Pritchard (R-Sycamore)
Dan Reitz (R-Sparta)
Chapin Rose (R-Charleston)
Jil Tracy (R-Quincy)
Jim Watson (R-Jacksonville)

Durbin Pushes Democrats To Unify (Against The Filibuster)

Adam Doster — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:21:44 -0700

Once upon a time, passing legislation in Washington didn't require 60 votes in the Senate. The filibuster was generally reserved for issues of great national importance -- civil rights legislation is a prime example -- and a simple majority almost always sufficed. But times have changed. For one, marathon speeches aren't required to sustain a filibuster anymore; now, leaders just take periodic voice votes on cloture (i.e. a vote to end debate) while other business is conducted. Intransigence has been an intentional strategy of the Republican leadership as well. As a result, the Senate almost doubled the number of cloture votes required of previous Congresses. And even bills that do get passed are almost always watered down to generate enough support from parochial Democrats.

But with 60 votes in the Senate now, the Democratic Party has the opportunity to bust through the gridlock. All they need to do is stick together on procedural votes, according to Illinois' own Dick Durbin:

Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin , D-Ill., said Tuesday that the message to the caucus — particularly to more than a dozen moderate Democrats — was: “Don’t let the Republicans filibuster us into failure. We want to succeed, and to succeed, we need to stick together."

This is an important point. Supporting cloture is not the same as supporting passage of a given bill. And Durbin is not asking Democrats from red states to vote with President Obama across the board. All he is asking is for them to help the party leadership release bills from legislative purgatory and allow up-or-down votes. Once a cap-and-trade bill reaches the Senate floor, for example, Sen. Evan Bayh can crisscross Indiana deriding it as "cap-and-tax job killer." But as a Democrat, there is no reason he should join Republican leaders and obstruct his own party's platform.

The political distinction is key here. As Ed Kilgore writes, "[N]o senator has ever been defeated for re-election solely on the basis of voting for cloture on a bill they intend ultimately to oppose." Bayh and company will still get their soundbite. Those who support Obama, meanwhile, will see his agenda get a fair shake.

The De Jesus Blowback Continues

Angela Caputo — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:23:24 -0700

When Billy Ocasio departed the Chicago City Council for a position in Gov. Pat Quinn's adminstration, he chose Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus, a self-avowed anti-gay activist, as his favored replacement in the 26th Ward. Mayor Daley will ultimately be the one to select Ocasio's successor and, not suprisingly, the possibility of De Jesus' ascension has sparked protests from the gay community and headlines like this one from NBC Chicago: "Will Daley Appoint A Homophobe?"

The deadline for the appointment is just three weeks away, and as the pressure mounts to bypass De Jesus, the mayor has been sure to emphasize that there are other potential replacemets in the mix. That seems like a clear sign he's feeling the heat from gay rights activists -- including the council's first openly-gay member Ald. Tom Tunney (44th Ward) -- who are emphasizing the Humboldt Park pastor's active opposition to homosexuality and abortion. Kit Duffy, a former City Hall liaison to the gay and lesbian community, thinks there will be political consequences for such an appointment, making it known through the Windy City Times that "If energized by this man's hatred, [gays and lesbians] will most certainly organize in 2010 against anyone who has advocated for this misguided appointment."

In a Tribune article published Tuesday, De Jesus "vowed to not let his religious beliefs influence his policy making." But activist Julio Rodriguez countered that it's too risky to give De Jesus any control over the city's purse strings, particularly when it comes to funding agencies that serve homosexuals:

Julio Rodriguez, president of the Association of Latino Men for Action, a Chicago gay advocacy group, disputed De Jesus' statements that his religious views are irrelevant when it comes to funding programs or events for gay constituents.

"We don't see how someone who has such a strong foundation with his church can separate his belief system [from] his public role, even though he thinks he can," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez's skepticism is certianly warranted. Indeed, earlier this year, De Jesus actively lobbied to kill Chicago's first school for openly-gay students, the Social Justice Pride Campus.

Gay rights advocates recently sat down with the pastor to further explores his views. Equality Illinois political director Rick Garcia said they walked away more convinced that that they'll actively oppose his nomination. The Windy City Times reports:

“People asked him very pointed questions about his [church's] Web site, which has a page about homosexuality and how it's sinful and wrong. They asked him if he would change that, and he said absolutely not,” said Rick Garcia of Equality Illinois, who attended the meeting [...]

“I have to say that I don't think he swayed anyone in that room in his favor,” said Garcia.

That certainly doesn't bode well for him. Stay tuned ...

On WTTW, Madigan Defends Position On State Budget Crisis

Josh Kalven — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:38:31 -0700

During a one-on-one interview with Carol Marin on WTTW last night, Attorney General Lisa Madigan gave a classy explanation for why she opted not to run for higher office after "positioning" herself for a gubernatorial run in late 2008. Below are some relevant portions of the transcript (you can watch the full video here):

MADIGAN: It was very clear to me -- and I think most people in Illinois -- that, a year ago, somebody had to take on Rod Blagojevich. We couldn't continue to have somebody serving as our governor who was serving themselves as opposed to the people of the state. Obviously, things have changed. [...]

There was a motivation when you can sit there and see that the state is being run in a manner that is immoral and illegal. And not knowing what would happen when, I was in fact positioning myself to take on that challenge. [...]

If it was, right now, in my heart to run for governor, that's what I would have done. And obviously it would have been more of a battle. But Carol, you remember, when I first ran for attorney general in 2002 that was half the conversation, if not more. You know, "I couldn't possibly do my job as attorney general because my father was speaker of the House." I think I've proven over the years that I'm independent of him and I'm more than capable of being attorney general of our state. [...]

I went to law school to help people. I got that degree so I could work on seeking justice for people. And as attorney general, I have that opportunity everyday.

But when asked about her views on the state budget impasse, Madigan's response was far less logical:

MARIN: Why didn't you weigh in more [on the budget crisis] than you have?

MADIGAN: I have weighed in. In fact, I weighed in months and months and months ago -- both to the governor as well as to anyone in the media who asked me. And I've said the same thing since day one.

You'll remember that last year, Blagojevich cut my budget 25 percent. So the Office of the Attorney General last year had to go through and make significant and painful cuts. And we started by doing the smallest of things. And once we did everything there, we looked at what we would do in terms of personnel -- laid off 21 people, everyone took furlough days. We're now at a point where we're down 60 people from where we were last year.

What I've said is, before we can ask people in these tough economic times to sacrifice more for the state, the state has to make the cuts and show that they've done the hard work necessary to gain their support.

Madigan's point appears to be this: Her office managed to cut 25 percent of its budget last year, so other departments should be forced to do the same before asking the public to support a tax increase.

But here's my question for the attorney general: Is her office running more efficiently and effectively now that those 60 people are gone? Did they represent "bloat?" When she learned of the budget reduction last July, she called it "irresponsible" and told Crain's "We won’t be able to fulfill our constitutional, statutory or ethical obligations to the state ... We’ll have fewer resources to help people.” Does she now think those cuts were needed?

If not, doesn't that actually undermine the argument with the public over a tax increase? How can we ask them to fork over more of their hard-earned dollars for a government that does less? Doesn't seem particularly convincing to me.

The Early Bird: July 9, 2009

Progress Illinois — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:57:47 -0700

Madigan Staying Put, Opens Political Floodgates
Yesterday, Attorney General Lisa Madigan ended months of speculation about her political future by announcing that she'll run for reelection. The political jockeying for 2010 picked right up. Among those waiting on Madigan's decision is North Shore GOP Rep. Mark Kirk, who is now looking for support among national Republican leaders for a Senate bid.

The Cost Of Inaction
Jack Lavin, the man Gov. Pat Quinn put in charge of Illinois' federal stimulus revenue, pointed out yesterday that billions hinge on the state legislature's ability to pass operating and capital budgets quickly. "The stimulus is only going to be there for a year and a half," Lavin told business leaders in Aurora.

Anxiety Grows Over Cuts To Senior Drug Program
Gov. Pat Quinn's decision to cut $40 million from a drug-assistance program for low-income seniors and the disabled is causing anxiety for thousands who rely on the state subsidy to buy expensive medications. The agency's cost-cutting plan hinges on increasing co-payments for 150,000 of the 200,000 low-income seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in Illinois Cares Rx statewide.

Harris To Have "Significant Impact" On Blago Trial
John Harris, the one-time chief of staff to Rod Blagojevich, switched to a guilty plea in the federal corruption case centered around the former governor yesterday. Harris' attorney Terry Ekl is hinting that his client's testimony will have "a significant impact" on the government's case against the Blagojevich.

Audit: IL Can Kiss $1 Million Goodbye
An audit by the Inspector General's office concludes that an initial "lack of due diligence" by the Blagojevich administration virtually eliminates the state's chances of recovering the $1 million grant mistakenly given to the Loop Lab School .

CPS Test Scores Inch Up
The latest batch of Illinois Standards Achievement Test results are in and CPS Schools Chief Ron Humberman is describing the results -- an average 2 percentage point increase in the number of students meeting or exceeding standards -- as "incrimental" progress. Students at 320 of Chicago's 519 elementary schools posted improvements over last year's scores.

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user Pete Zarria.

Rep. Bean Considers A Second Stimulus

Adam Doster — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:26:34 -0700

The nation's economic climate is still pretty grim. Unemployment, which some predict will exceed 10 percent next year, is rising at a quicker pace than the White House projected in January, weeks before they passed their historic $787 billion stimulus package. And the stimulus package itself -- as expected -- is taking some time to ramp up. So far, only 10 percent of the spending is out the door.

Not surprisingly, that hasn't stopped conservatives from deriding the spending bill as wholly ineffective. On Sunday, Rep. Peter Roskam made such a claim during his appearance on FOX Chicago Sunday. But economists were never concerned that the recovery package was fundamentally flawed. Instead, many feared that after negotiations with "moderates" in the Senate, the bill was too small to dig us out of a huge hole. That worry is leading some policy makers to float the idea of a second Obama stimulus package. One local lawmaker who appears interested is Rep. Melissa Bean, who told Politico today that "the thing we have to consider is the risk to not doing it.”

That risk is great. As Paul Krugman wrote in a column last Thursday, the situation on our hands today may mirror that faced by Franklin Roosevelt, who saw the economy tank after he appeased deficit hawks and slowed government spending in 1937.

Politically, it's a very difficult sell. The administration is moving forward with expensive health care and energy bills. The Democratic Congress, facing unified Republican opposition, was barely able to pass the first stimulus. And it's unclear whether the public has an appetite for more spending, especially before the administration lets the first plan run its full course. Sen. Dick Durbin told Bloomberg, "I’m not sure how you would do it."

But that doesn't mean it's bad policy. A second plan focused in a way that offsets the cutting of state budgets could jumpstart the economy in a shorter timeframe. One idea raised by James Galbraith is to reintroduce general revenue sharing for states and localities, which the Congressional Research Service estimates could have a "significant fiscal stimulus." As this debate unfolds, it's a concept worth watching.