A bill to let tipped employees keep their tips is awaiting a decision by Gov. Pritzker. St. Rep. Lance Yednock says the bill would prohibit employers from forcing employees to pool their tips. The Ottawa Democrat says employers couldn’t deduct tip amounts from the regular wages an employee makes either. Employees could still decide on their own to pool their tips, but the boss wouldn’t be allowed to influence the decision. All of this area’s lawmakers voted for the bill.
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A tax increase is a difficult thing to vote for, but the 19-cent gas tax hike will do good for roads and bridges, said state Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa).
Recently, Illinois legislators passed Capital Bill, HB62, to fund local infrastructure projects. The bill was sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday but hadn’t been signed as of Wednesday morning.
GRANVILLE — Granville’s mayor was happy to report news this morning.
Yenock said the money for the projects will come from the 19-cent-per-gallon gas tax hike that starts July 1, and that collected money will continue to provide for road and bridge projects.
He anticipates some communities will start to see their funding this summer and said it’s important to help smaller communities with funding like this.
Local projects listed in the capital bill range from upgrading sewer plants to street reconstruction and replacing fire hydrants.
Yednock encourages municipalities and constituents to contact him if they are interested in receiving funding like this in the future. His Springfield office can be contacted at (217) 782-0140 and Ottawa office at (815) 324-5055. His email is StateRepYednock@gmail.com.
Ali Braboy can be reached at (815) 220-6931 and countyreporter@newstrib.com. Follow her on Twitter @NT_PutnamCo.
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Region: Northern,Feeds,News,Local,Region: La Salle
SPRINGFIELD — Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Democrats who control the General Assembly passed a flurry of major legislation in the closing days of this year’s legislative session.
State Rep. Jehan-Gordon Booth (D-Peoria) said lawmakers were highly productive this year.
“This legislative session was historic. The Illinois General Assembly, in over a hundred years, have never worked on this many groundbreaking issues successfully – in one year,” she said. “This year was absolutely historic. We’ve never had a year this significant, at least in my tenure being in the legislature.”
Some of the major legislation passed includes raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, passing a $45 billion capital bill for infrastructure improvements and offering the voters a chance to amend the Illinois Constitution to shift the state to a graduated income tax.
She says that many of the progressive ideas passed this session are nothing new, but ultimately required needed votes in the legislature and the governor’s signature to become law.
“For years, you’ve had folks talking about the need to put a progressive income tax on the ballot. Let the people choose what they think is the right way to be funding the very functionality of our government. A balanced budget, what a novel idea. Fifteen dollar an hour minimum wage,” she said.
After the 2018 midterms, Democrats now hold supermajorities in both houses of the legislature, and Democrat J.B. Pritzker defeated Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in his bid for re-election to the governor’s office.
Gordon-Booth also spearheaded recreational cannabis legalization. She called Illinois’ proposed legislation the “most equitable” in the nation.
She said she “could not be more proud” of what legislators achieved in the closing days of the session.
State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, discusses why she voted "yes" on legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois. She said she had concerns about the expungement process and law enforcement issues.
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New state Rep. Nathan Reitz will be a pivotal vote on the graduated income tax
State Rep. Nathan Reitz discusses progressive income tax
State Rep. Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville, who replaced Jerry Costello II in the House in May 2019, discusses his goals as a new state representative and his thoughts on a proposal to have a progressive income tax system in Illinois. By
State Rep. Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville, who replaced Jerry Costello II in the House in May 2019, discusses his goals as a new state representative and his thoughts on a proposal to have a progressive income tax system in Illinois. By
Springfield
When the state House of Representatives votes on whether to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2020 ballot that would allow for a change to the state’s income tax system, many eyes will be on the chamber’s newest member.
State Rep. Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville, could be a key vote as Democrats try to garner enough support from the party’s caucus in order to place the proposal to remove the requirement for a flat income tax in the state.
Reitz was appointed earlier this month to replace Rep. Jerry Costello II, D- Smithton, in the 116th District. Costello was appointed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to be the director of Law Enforcement for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
In order for the constitutional amendment to make the November 2020 ballot, it would need 71 votes in favor in the Illinois House. Democrats hold 74 seats in the chamber, but two suburban Democratic state representatives — Jonathan Carroll, of Northbrook, and Sam Yingling of Grayslake — have said they’re not ready to support the graduated income tax plan, according to the Chicago Tribune.
All of the Republicans in the House Chamber have committed to voting “no” when the proposed amendment comes up.
That leaves the governor’s office and other proponents of a progressive income tax with an even narrower path to accomplishing one of the governor’s top priorities: changing the state to a progressive income tax system which would require the state’s top earners pay more in taxes. The governor has said it would help fill a $3.2 billion structural budget deficit.
Costello, who often prided himself as being the most conservative Democrat in the House, had said he was against a progressive income tax in the state. Replacing Costello in the House opens up the possibility of gaining a vote for the constitutional amendment.
In an interview, Reitz, the former shift supervisor at the Dynegy-owned Baldwin Power Plant, wouldn’t give a definitive answer on whether he would vote differently than Costello on the issue.
“Right now I’m still looking at everything and at the end of the day I have to do what’s best for all the people in my district, and lowering taxes on the middle class is definitely my focus right now and will always be my focus,” Reitz said.
Nathan Reitz’s appointment this month was followed by a call from the Illinois GOP for the younger Reitz to follow in Costello’s footsteps and oppose a graduated income tax system.
Nathan Reitz, Democrat from Steeleville. Joe Bustos jbustos@bnd.com
Reitz, who does plan to run for election to the seat in 2020, conceded he has been lobbied on the progressive income tax issue.
“I’ve spoken to several people and told them I have to do what’s best for the people in the 116th district,” Reitz said. “They will be the people that ultimately have the decision to bring me back to Springfield in two years. If the fair tax is something that needs to happen to make that a possibility, we probably need to sit down and look at it.”
Legislative lobbying
Pritzker Press Secretary Jordan Abudayyeh said the governor has been meeting with lawmakers to convince them to support the plan the governor’s office has called the “fair tax.” Under rates that have been proposed, 97 percent of people would pay the same or less in income taxes. People making more than $250,000 would see an increase.
“The governor believes the fair tax is the best way to put the state back on firm fiscal footing while protecting the middle class,” Abudayyeh said. “He’s making the case to lawmakers from every part of the state because he knows lawmakers want to do what’s best for their constituents.”
If Reitz votes “yes” when the constitutional amendment came up, he would probably receive criticism back in his district, said state Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, whose senate district contains Reitz’s House district.
“I would expect that if Rep. Reitz were to vote ‘yes’ on that, he would get a lot of blowback,” Schimpf said. “I don’t know what he’s going to do, I haven’t had a conversation but I do know the governor’s proposal to change from a flat tax rate to a progressive tax rate is extremely unpopular in my district.”
Schimpf said he was lobbied to vote certain ways when Republican Bruce Rauner was governor.
“Sometimes I would agree with him, sometimes I disagreed with him,” Schimpf said. “Ultimately I voted my district, and that’s what we should all be doing, voting what’s best for our district regardless what pressure we get from the second floor.”
State Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, the sponsor of the constitutional amendment in the House, argues constituents in Reitz’s district would be helped by a progressive income tax as it would bring in more money for poorer school districts.
“No doubt his district would benefit,” Martwick said.
Martwick said there would be property tax relief and there would be income tax relief for Reitz’s constituents.
“It’s not massive, but it’s something,” Martwick said.
Still unclear is when representatives may vote on the progressive income tax amendment as proponents work to get the 71 votes needed. Martwick said many members are meeting with him to discuss details of the bills and to make sure they get the best for their constituents.
“We’re close to 71. I’m confident we’ll get to 71,” Martwick said.
Southern Illinois values
As Reitz mulls over a vote on the graduated income tax, he has worked on issues to show his southern Illinois values.
The first bill he co-sponsored dealt with Second Amendment rights. The legislation, among other things works to ensure the World Shooting Complex in Sparta is not impacted by recently passed gun restriction laws, and restructures the validity of concealed carry licenses by stating that licenses may expire five years from the expiration date of the prior license rather than five years from the renewal application date.
“I’m sponsoring a commonsense, pro-gun bill to defend Southern Illinois from the one-dimensional Chicago assault on legal gun ownership,” Reitz said.
Nathan Reitz, Democrat from Steeleville. Joe Bustos jbustos@bnd.com
The legislation, if it becomes law, would require the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Board of Higher Education to create the Agricultural Education Pre-Service Teacher Internship Program and award grants to pre-service teaching students who are involved in the program.
“The goal of my first bill is to expand access to agricultural education by investing in those with an interest in teaching it,” Reitz said. “I am committed to working with the education advocates, the agriculture community, as well as other stakeholders that share Southern Illinois’ most core values.”
Joseph Bustos is the state affairs and politics reporter for the Belleville News-Democrat, where he strives to hold elected officials accountable and provide context to decisions they make. He has won multiple awards from the Illinois Press Association for coverage of sales tax referendums.
Several collar county board members are being paid salaries for their work at the same time they also are collecting pensions for the same county board work. Did you know that?
It’s true. And at the moment, it’s perfectly legal, though some Illinois lawmakers are trying to change that and fix what they see as other corruption problems in county governments.
OPINION
More than a dozen county board members in Lake, McHenry, Will and Kane County are being paid both salaries and pensions at the same time for their work as county commissioners. They’ve received as much as $82,124 in annual pension payouts from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund for jobs in which they’re also still getting salaries of between $21,000 and $43,018, according to an analysis by the Daily Herald’s Jake Griffin.
This is happening because of a 2016 law that says county commissioners cannot continue to work toward a pension unless they provide documentation they’re working at least 19 hours a week at that job. Elected officials who did not provide that proof were kicked out of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund but, because they had contributed previously to IMRF, they were able to start collecting their accumulated pensions even though they’re still working, and being paid, as commissioners.
Senate Bill 1236 aims to stop that, along with three other problems that have surfaced in county governments because of a lack of accountability and transparency. Sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Terry Link of Indian Creek, the bill passed the Senate 45-6 last month. It passed 13-3 out of a House committee last week and could get a full House vote soon.
“The pension is a retirement vehicle,” state Rep. Sam Yingling, a Round Lake Beach Democrat, said in an interview. “It’s not something for public officials to use to double dip at the taxpayer trough.”
If Link and Yingling succeed in getting their legislation enacted, elected local officials would be prohibited from receiving a salary or other compensation if they are collecting pension benefits from IMRF for the same job. An official’s salary would be zeroed out at the start of a new term if that official is collecting a pension for the same job.
Several Lake County board members, the Illinois Association of County Board Members, the Illinois State Association of Counties and the Illinois Municipal League all filed witness slips opposing passage of SB 1236 before last week’s committee hearing.
Some lawmakers questioned why the legislation didn’t cut off the pension rather than the salary for officials who are collecting both. Yingling noted people can defer their pension payments if they win re-election to a local office they once held.
Others wondered about scenarios in which a teacher could retire from full-time work, begin collecting a pension, but want to then work part-time or as a substitute.
State Rep. Daniel Didich, a Buffalo Grove Democrat, answered, noting those officials could begin collecting their pensions once they finally quit working at those jobs.
“I think the public is absolutely fed up with this type of behavior and practice in government,” Yingling added. “This is good government to install these protections and measures for taxpayers and I strongly believe in them.”
Other provisions in the legislation would allow for the removal of county board chairs, who are elected to that leadership role by their fellow commissioners by a four-fifths vote of the board. Yingling said that provision was needed after the revelation that former Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor had abused a county credit card and submitted fraudulent charges for reimbursement. Lawlor resigned after the abuses came to light and sought treatment for addiction.
SB 1236 also boosts transparency by requiring that vendors in line for a county contract of more than $30,000 must disclose any family relationships with county officials. Yingling said some vendors in Lake County have been awarded no-bid contracts and then it’s come to light they have relationships with officeholders.
Lastly, the legislation requires county boards to alert new countywide officials that they have the option to ask that a transitional audit be conducted at county expense when they take office.
Lake County Circuit Court Clerk Erin Cartwright Weinstein said she fought with a prior county administrator and board members for months after she took office to try to definitely determine what happened with contracts for an e-filing system that never was completed, even though $4.9 million had been spent on it over a five-year period by her predecessor. County officials since have agreed to pay for an assessment, a less formal form of a forensic audit.
“This bill is a huge step in the right direction to provide accountability and protections to the public against inappropriate spending of taxpayer funds,” she previously told state lawmakers.
Illinois leads the nation in numbers of governments, which makes it that much harder for taxpayers to hold them all accountable. SB 1236 should help if it becomes law.
The public, Yingling said, is “demanding that action be taken to stop rampant fraud and abuse.”
Madeleine Doubek is executive director of CHANGE Illinois, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for political and government reforms.
Farmers from Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau recently welcomed their new adopted legislator, Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, for an educational day. Costa Howard represents a suburban district in DuPage County and joined the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Adopt-A-Legislator program a few months ago.
She first met her adopted farmers at IFB’s state legislative reception in February and graciously offered to visit the county this spring to begin learning more about their farms and the work they do.
The day began with a meet and greet at the county Farm Bureau office where the representative was presented with a welcome basket of locally produced items. The first tour stop took place at North Elementary School in Jacksonville. As a former school board president, Costa Howard has a strong interest in education issues. The school tour provided an opportunity to learn about the concerns of a rural school district, including unfunded mandates and the challenging impact of the state’s new minimum wage law.
Principal Bobbie Mills led the tour and highlighted the building’s newest addition which added a media center, preschool classrooms and more restrooms. Costa Howard also observed an Ag in the Classroom presentation by Lisa Hadden to learn about the program, which teaches students about how their food is grown.
The next stop was John Tomhave’s cow/calf operation. Tomhave’s son, Austin, and daughter-in-law, Lauren, along with their daughters, Gracie and Caroline, gave the representative a tour of their barn to view newborn calves.
The Tomhaves explained how the babies are fed, raised and cared for in all kinds of weather. They also discussed how farmers keep their animals healthy, including responsibly using antibiotics to prevent illness and to treat the animals when they are sick.
Several Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau Board members joined the group for lunch at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. The group had a great conversation covering many issues, including the importance of the sales tax exemption on agricultural inputs, the proposed progressive income tax, economic development and vocational education. The discussion provided a valuable opportunity for Costa Howard to ask direct questions about agriculture and get the farmers’ input on key issues facing the state today.
After lunch, the representative visited the Hadden family farm, a fifth-generation grain and cattle farm. The family also runs a Pioneer seed dealership. Brothers Dale and Gary Hadden walked Costa Howard through their farm, explaining how they are preparing for planting season, as well as work involved in running the seed dealership.
Time was spent inspecting a planter to better understand the machinery and technology used to plant a crop. Afterwards, Costa Howard gained some on-the-job experience by taking a tractor ride and even driving the tractor herself.
The tour concluded with a stop at Wes White’s farm to view agricultural conservation projects. Costa Howard learned how cover crops prevent soil erosion and provide nutrients to improve the soil. The group also took a ride out into the field to observe how filter strips prevent nutrient runoff from the field and protect water quality.
“We appreciate Rep. Costa Howard’s enthusiasm for the Adopt-A-Legislator program and her interest in learning more about agriculture,” said Wes White, Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau president. “The farm tour was a valuable opportunity to share our perspective on a number of important state issues. We look forward to visiting the representative’s district this summer to better understand the issues important to her constituents.”
Christina Nourie serves as Illinois Farm Bureau’s northeast legislative coordinator.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To help stimulate job growth in Illinois, state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, passed a legislative proposal on Wednesday that would require the state to buy products made in Illinois, helping create and support local jobs and keeping taxpayer dollars in state.
“By prioritizing products that are manufactured here in Illinois, we are supporting local jobs that employ those who live and work in our state,” said Yednock. “When the state makes a purchase using taxpayer dollars, then those dollars should remain in our country and state. This is not only an investment in local companies, but also the local families that own them and work here.”
Yednock is sponsoring House Bill 357, which requires state agencies to purchase Illinois-manufactured products in the process of buying products or goods, if possible. If Illinois products are not available, agencies are then required to purchase American-made products. Yednock’s legislative agenda includes the strong promotion of local jobs and promoting the purchase of Illinois and American-made products by state agencies.
“As we continue to look at new ways to get our state’s economy back on track, one of the first steps is by supporting local businesses and industries, which in turn supports local jobs and employees,” said Yednock. “It’s more than reasonable to ask state agencies, when they are making purchases with taxpayer funds, to give preference to Illinois and American-made products. This will help us to be competitive while also supporting the hard-working men and women of our state.”
House Bill 357 passed the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
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SPRINGFIELD — A bill that would bar municipalities in Illinois from enacting local “right-to-work” laws like one the village of Lincolnshire enacted in 2015 is one step closer to going to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Those are laws that prohibit employers from requiring a worker to join a labor union as a condition of employment.
The Illinois House on Wednesday gave final passage to a bill that has already cleared the Senate that would clarify that state government has exclusive authority to enact laws governing what are known as union security agreements – agreements between employers and unions that spell out the extent to which workers can be compelled to belong to a union, as well as whether the employer will collect dues and fees on behalf of the union.
State Rep. Lance Yednock, an Ottawa Democrat and chief sponsor of the House version of the bill, said it would only reiterate what Congress intended when it passed the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which gave states authority to enact right-to-work laws.
“In doing so, Congress decided to avoid the confusion that having 7,000 units of local government in Illinois with thousands of different laws would create,” Yednock said in arguing for the bill.
In recent years, however, federal courts have interpreted the law in different ways.
In Illinois, the issue came to a head in 2015 when the village of Lincolnshire passed an ordinance that prohibited the use of union-security agreements.
It also prohibited the use of “hiring halls,” which are union-based organizations that supply new recruits to employers with collective bargaining agreements. And it prohibited the use of dues “checkoff” arrangements in which employers collect union dues through payroll deductions on behalf of unions.
The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399 challenged that law in federal court, arguing that the Taft-Hartley Act gives only states the authority to enact such laws. Lincolnshire, however, argued that as a political subdivision of the state, it had the right to exercise the state’s authority.
In January 2017, a federal district court struck down the ordinance, and in September 2018, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision. However, the appellate court also noted that other courts of appeals have ruled differently – specifically the 6th Circuit, which in 2016 upheld a similar law enacted by Hardin County, Kentucky.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the Kentucky case. But now that the 7th Circuit has reached a different conclusion in the Lincolnshire case, some lawmakers said they believe the nation’s high court will be forced to weigh in.
“My impression is that if (some) other district goes up to the Supreme Court and they somehow rule that something similar to Lincolnshire is allowed, this ban would be stricken, and I think it would no longer be constitutional and enforceable on the books of Illinois,” House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, said during debate.
The bill, Senate Bill 1474, passed by a 101-8 vote. It previously passed the Senate, 42-12, on March 7. But the House deleted a provision in the original Senate bill that would have made it a misdemeanor for any local government official to violate the act. That means the bill now must return to the Senate to either agree or disagree with the House change.
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Region: Decatur,City: Decatur,Politics,Region: Central
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