SPRINGFIELD — The vote for state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez because the Democratic Occasion of Illinois’ first Latino chairwoman was unanimous and uneventful on Saturday, July 30 — the drama had occurred within the days prior in an influence battle of a number of the state’s most outstanding Democrats.
Hernandez was backed Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Home Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. She served with Welch on a particular investigating committee of Home Speaker Michael Madigan in 2020, which selected to take no motion in opposition to the speaker for his alleged position in a yearslong bribery scheme with a public utility. A number of months later, Madigan was indicted.
The brand new DPI chair additionally performed prominently within the redistricting course of final 12 months within the Normal Meeting, chairing the Home committee on redistricting and steadily stonewalling inquiries as to what information was used to attract new maps. Finally, Democrats handed the brand new maps on partisan strains.
The 34 members of the Democratic State Central Committee — one man and one lady for every of the state’s 17 congressional districts — elected her by voice vote over outgoing chair Robin Kelly, who was backed by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
Kelly, a congresswoman from suburban Matteson, pulled herself from the working lower than 24 hours earlier after it turned obvious Hernandez had secured the requisite variety of votes to switch her.
Kelly was elected chair simply greater than 16 months in the past in what was additionally a decent and contentious race between her and Pritzker’s chosen candidate, Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris. She maintained robust help this 12 months amongst some members of the state central committee and drew excessive reward from its downstate members.
Hernandez provided reward for Kelly in an announcement, and the pair shared a quick embrace earlier than the assembly started. However the truth that neither Kelly nor Hernandez took questions from the media underscored the truth that the injuries of the struggle may nonetheless be recent.
Kelly learn from a ready assertion as effectively in working her closing assembly as DPI chair, saying its been a tough month and he or she was pleased with how she superior the celebration as chair.
Kelly took over after former Speaker Madigan, who led the celebration from 1998 till February final 12 months. Madigan steadily confronted criticism for the celebration’s lack of outreach and the truth that he principally used the celebration to elect state Home Democrats. He stepped down after failing to realize reelection as speaker in January 2021.
Among the committeemen serving downstate congressional districts stated Friday as soon as Kelly turned chair, it was the primary time they felt concerned within the celebration.
State Rep. Will Davis, a Hazel Crest Democrat and member of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, stated he didn’t like how the race performed out on racial strains, and the way the governor labored so arduous to sway help to oust Kelly, the celebration’s first Black lady chair.
Davis accused the governor of “twisting arms,” saying that whereas “cash and politics reared its ugly head,” Democrats now should work to unify to help candidates in November.
Pritzker’s camp maintained all through the race that his opposition to Kelly’s re-election centered on the truth that she was a federal officeholder, which meant she wasn’t legally allowed to lift funds to straight help state candidates.
SALES TAX REDUCTION: Via Aug. 14, the state will cut back its gross sales tax price from 6.25% to 1.25% for sure clothes gadgets costing lower than $125 and college provides.
The “tax vacation,” which began Friday, was included in Gov. Pritzker’s “household aid plan,” one prong of a number of payments making up the Fiscal 12 months 2023 working funds. The tax breaks handed with practically unanimous help within the Normal Meeting and supplied an estimated $1.8 billion in tax aid for Illinoisans.
The state estimated the gross sales tax discount would quantity to $50 million in financial savings for taxpayers.
Included clothes gadgets: The ten-day tax discount contains clothes gadgets costing lower than $125 individually.
Clothes gadgets, as outlined by the regulation, embrace the usual gadgets corresponding to shorts, pants, skirts, shirts and underwear. The tax discount may even apply to aprons, hats, caps and earmuffs, coats and jackets, belts and suspenders, rubber pants, lab coats, hosiery, scarves, bathing fits, faculty uniforms and neckties.
It additionally applies to footwear — footwear, shoelaces, slippers, insoles, boots, socks and sandals.
Excluded gadgets: Nevertheless it doesn’t apply to ballet, faucet or athletic footwear, curler or ice skates, ski boots, waders, or fins.
Customers additionally shouldn’t count on the diminished gross sales tax price on accent gadgets corresponding to briefcases, hair bows, purses, jewellery, sun shades or wigs. The discount additionally doesn’t apply to sports activities gloves, goggles, hand and elbow guards, life preservers, wetsuits, shoulder pads, shin guards or mouth guards.
Additionally excluded are protecting tools gadgets corresponding to respiratory masks, listening to protectors, face shields, arduous hats and helmets, respirators, protecting gloves, security goggles or software belts.
Included faculty provides: Binders, guide baggage, calculators, cellophane tape, blackboard chalk, notebooks, erasers, folders, index playing cards, authorized pads, lunch packing containers, pencils and sharpeners, provide packing containers, protractors, rulers, compasses, and scissors are all eligible for the diminished tax price.
So are glue, highlighters, markers, crayons and coloured pencils.
Excluded gadgets: Customers shouldn’t count on different artwork provides to be eligible for the diminished price, nevertheless. Clay and glaze, paints and paint brushes, sketch pads and drawing pads will all be taxed on the common 6.25% price.
Textbooks, reference books, maps and globes are all excluded from the “vacation” as effectively.
Electronics and computer systems may even be taxed on the common price. That features computer systems and associated provides corresponding to flash drives, reminiscence playing cards, information storage, pc circumstances, cables, printers and ink.
Customers additionally shouldn’t count on any breaks whereas shopping for cameras, cellphones or handheld electronics.
OTHER TAX RELIEF: Different tax aid measures permitted within the funds embrace a property tax rebate as much as 5% of the home-owner’s tax invoice as much as $300, and a one-time earnings tax rebate of $50 per particular person and $100 per dependent, as much as a restrict of three youngsters per household. These could be obtainable to people with incomes as much as $200,000 and joint filers with incomes as much as $400,000.
The bundle additionally suspends for one 12 months the 1% tax on groceries and places a six-month pause on the automated inflationary improve within the state’s motor gas tax, which was estimated to be 2.2 cents per gallon.
The plan additionally completely expands the state earned earnings tax credit score from 18 to twenty % of the federal credit score whereas additionally increasing the variety of households that may declare the credit score.
The measure additionally set an earnings tax credit score for academics shopping for classroom provides at $250 for the present 12 months and $500 starting Jan. 1.
MONKEYPOX: Gov. Pritzker issued a public well being emergency declaration and declared Illinois a catastrophe space in response to the monkeypox virus Monday, a transfer his workplace stated would assist mobilize sources.
The governor’s workplace stated the proclamation will help in shifting vaccines to essentially the most impacted communities and can permit the Illinois Division of Public Well being to increase vaccine and testing capacities with the assistance of the Illinois Emergency Administration Company and state and federal funds.
The World Well being Group declared monkeypox a Public Well being Emergency of Worldwide Concern final week, and Illinois has reported 520 circumstances so far, in response to the governor’s workplace.
With 85 % of the circumstances in Chicago as of final week, town had acquired 18,707 vaccine doses whereas the state had acquired 7,371, sending 4,631 of them to Chicago. One other 13,000 extra state doses are anticipated from the federal authorities “within the close to future,” in response to the governor’s workplace.
Final week, IDPH warned in a information launch that vaccine demand was “outstripping provides.” The division suggested native public well being officers that “until individuals are in sure elevated threat classes, they need to obtain solely an preliminary dose of the MPV vaccine till extra provides turn into obtainable.”
In keeping with IDPH, people in “excessive case burden areas” could contact their native well being division about receiving the vaccine, however the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention doesn’t suggest widespread vaccination in opposition to monkeypox right now.
The vaccine could also be really useful to individuals who have been uncovered to the virus or in shut contact with somebody testing constructive for monkeypox.
In keeping with the CDC, monkeypox signs can embrace headache, fever, respiratory signs, muscle aches, chills and exhaustion. However essentially the most seen symptom is a rash that could be positioned on the face, mouth, arms, toes, chest, genitals or different areas. Most individuals who contract monkeypox will get the rash, which may appear like pimples or blisters and could also be painful or itchy. The rash goes via a number of phases, together with scabs, earlier than therapeutic, per the CDC.
The illness spreads via shut, private contact, corresponding to skin-to-skin contact, direct contact with the monkeypox rash or via the bodily fluids of an contaminated individual, in response to the CDC. It may also be unfold by touching objects, materials and surfaces which have been utilized by somebody with monkeypox.
An individual with monkeypox can unfold it to others from the time signs begin till the rash has totally healed, and the sickness usually lasts two to 4 weeks, in response to the CDC.
Pritzker described the virus as “uncommon however doubtlessly severe,” and famous it has disproportionately impacted the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS: On Wednesday, Gov. Pritzker made stops in Cahokia Heights within the Metro East and Whittington in Southern Illinois to publicize state infrastructure funding for sewer enhancements and renovations on the Rend Lake Seaside Resort.
Initiatives in Cahokia Heights, the most recent metropolis in Illinois which integrated in 2021, will obtain $21 million, together with $9.9 million to revamp its sewer system — correcting an issue that residents stated has existed within the space for greater than 50 years.
State Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Swansea, stated at a information convention Wednesday he was raised in Centreville, which is now a part of Cahokia Heights.
“The stench of sewer backup — I grew up with it. You grew up with it a lot that it turned the norm,” he stated.
The $9.9 million could be instantly launched by the state, Pritzker stated, specializing in, amongst different issues, restore or alternative of 35 carry stations and a number of other thousand toes of pipeline restore.
Cahokia Heights Mayor Curtis McCall Sr. stated on the information convention “there has by no means been one of these cash” obtainable from the state to repair power issues within the space.
“I am 60 years previous, all of my life I’ve been coping with this,” he stated, noting the challenge will take three to 5 years to complete however will begin exhibiting ends in as little as two months.
At one other information convention in Franklin County later within the day, Pritzker introduced $17.5 million from Rebuild Illinois will go towards the renovation of the Rend Lake Resort on the 3,300-acre Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Space, which is operated by the Illinois Division of Pure Assets.
It had been closed since December 2016 after IDNR discovered mould and different upkeep points on the property.
The resort website includes a resort, convention middle, cabins, restaurant, boatel, reward store, pool, tennis courts and extra, most of which can be renovated underneath the state development plan, as soon as once more enabling the resort to host company, conferences and different occasions.
State Rep. Dave Severin, R-Benton, voted for all three parts of the capital plan in 2019. He stated the announcement marked considered one of his two greatest days previously six years, the opposite being when he was elected to the Home in 2016.
“The potential is superb, what it is going to carry again to Southern Illinois so far as jobs,” he stated of the resort.
OPIOID SETTLEMENTS: Gov. Pritzker and Lawyer Normal Kwame Raoul introduced plans Friday, July 29, for a way the state will distribute its share of funds from a nationwide settlement with opioid corporations.
Illinois expects to obtain roughly $760 million over 18 years from a $26 billion nationwide settlement with three opioid distributers – Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – and one opioid producer, Johnson & Johnson.
“The opioid disaster will go down as one of the disturbing examples of company greed and medical mismanagement in human historical past, giving method to an epidemic that has turn into extra lethal virtually yearly of the final 40 years,” Pritzker stated at a information convention in Chicago.
Below an government order that Pritzker stated he would signal Friday, the cash will circulation via a brand new Workplace of Opioid Settlement Administration to be arrange inside the Illinois Division of Human Companies.
That company may even appoint a Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator to make sure that the funds are utilized in accordance with the State Overdose Motion Plan, which Pritzker introduced earlier this 12 months, and that they’re used to fund restoration and therapy applications within the counties and municipalities with essentially the most pressing want.
Allocation of funds can be based mostly on suggestions from a newly created advisory board, chaired by the state’s chief behavioral well being officer and made up of state and native appointees. The board will work with an present state opioid steering committee led by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and the state’s administrators of the Illinois Division of Public Well being and IDHS.
“This disaster has reached into city, suburban and rural areas, each form of neighborhood,” Stratton stated on the information convention. “It is also true that opioids have disproportionately harm BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and other people of shade) communities. In truth, in Illinois alone, the opioid fatality price for Black communities was 55.3 per 100,000, and that’s the highest of all demographics.”
The settlement, which was first introduced in July 2021, resolves greater than 4,000 lawsuits that had been filed throughout the nation by state and native governments in opposition to the drug corporations.
In Illinois, Raoul stated, 94 counties and 77 municipalities have signed on to the settlement. Phrases of the settlement spell out what proportion of the proceeds every neighborhood will obtain, and so they require that no less than 85% of the funds be used for applications that may assist tackle the continuing opioid disaster via therapy, schooling and prevention efforts.
Raoul famous that the state stands to obtain much more cash sooner or later from different nationwide circumstances.
Pictures: Pest-reducing birds a boon within the backyard
Birds go to a yard feeder in Glen Head, N.Y., on this July 14, 2022, picture.
This Might 25, 2022, picture reveals a mourning dove perched on a deck put up in a Glen Head, N.Y.
A Bananaquit hangs the other way up to peck at a flower on the Cleveland Botanical Backyard in Ohio on Feb. 15, 2012.
A male American robin perches itself on a blooming maple tree in Beverly Hills, Mich., on March 24, 2012.
Birds collect at a feeder in a Johannesburg, South Africa, backyard Sept. 22, 2013.
A hummingbird flies in a backyard close to Bogota, Colombia.
