Illinois Insights: An Update from Cozen O’Connor (5/2)

Public Health

• Masks now recommended indoors in Cook County: The health department recommends people wear masks indoors to protect those most at risk from COVID-19, including people older than 50, people with underlying medical conditions, and those who are immunocompromised. From Block Club Chicago.

Illinois

Amid spike in crime, Pritzker administration announces new grant funding for community violence prevention organizations

Governor JB Pritzker announced the launch of $113 million in funding opportunities for community organizations working on violence prevention and interruption across the state. This funding builds on $73 million already distributed by the Illinois Department of Human Services to organizations in FY22 as well as an additional $71.8 million in the pipeline, with grant agreements expected to be finalized prior to the summer.

Community-based organizations that provide services in any of the 42 eligible communities (and follow GATA guidelines) can apply. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis to expedite funding.

To apply for funding, visit www.dhs.illinois.gov/rpsa.

Around the State

• Out-of-state businesses are buying Illinois’ sales pitch: “The organization has helped bring to Illinois 15,800 jobs and $4.6 billion of capital investment in its first six years. For instance, Lion Electric, a Canadian company that makes electric school buses, plans to open a manufacturing plant in Joliet later this year. In downstate Bloomington, Rivian manufactures electric cars,” by the Daily Herald.
• State education chief urges schools to stop working with police to ticket students for misbehavior, by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica.
• As nationwide teacher shortage worsens, some say inadequate pay is to blame, by the Tribune.
• $309M available to Illinois homeowners struggling with their mortgages, by Capitol News Illinois.
• Welch is committed to protecting incumbents, ‘But it’s not a blank check.’ From the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Durkin believes Irvin can win in suburbs and Chicago, he tells WCIA.

Chicago

More than 100,000 Chicagoans applied for 5,000 spots in guaranteed income program during 1st week of applications

More than 100,000 people applied for a spot in Chicago’s $31.5 million guaranteed basic income pilot program, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Friday.

The program will support 5,000 low-income households with $500 a month for 12 months to provide additional economic stability. To apply for the lottery, residents must live in the City of Chicago, be 18 years or older, have experienced economic hardship related to COVID-19, and have a household income at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (ex. $57,575 for a household of 3).

Program participants will be selected via a lottery.

More information on the new initiative is available here.

More From City Hall

• How one apartment project on the Far Northwest Side created divisions on affordable housing, congestion and more: “While Lightfoot during her first term has had minimal success defeating aldermanic prerogative, one exception is the Glenstar development. Late last year, the City Council approved the plan over the objections of the ward’s alderman, who warned his fellow council members they were establishing a dangerous precedent that empowered any mayor to overrule local aldermanic control on development issues,” by the Chicago Tribune.
• Lightfoot leaves Board of Education seat empty after arguing against elected board: “The mayor fought against an elected board, saying it was imperative she appoint all its members. Leaving a seat open for 9 months — especially with two more vacancies looming — is “problematic,” one lawmaker said,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.
• A key Lightfoot casino adviser raised money for one of the bidders: “The already bumpy process of selecting a casino winner gets bumpier, with aldermen left out of the loop on a connection between one of the finalists and the consultancy hired by the city to run the numbers on the bids,” reports Crain’s Chicago Business.
• Wealthy neighborhoods hiring their own private police as crime rises. by the Wall Street Journal.

Federal

Beltway Briefing: Forest and Trees

A barrage of divisive economic signals played a role in recent market turmoil. On Capitol Hill, politicians are pouncing on the numbers to support their political agendas ahead of the critical 2022 midterm elections. Meanwhile, the path forward in the war in Ukraine remains unclear, as what many predicted would be a swift victory for the Russian military enters its third month, with no end in sight.

Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin take a step back from the minutiae of Washington to reflect on the bigger picture of politics and try to bring some perspective to the challenging environment in which the country finds itself.

You can listen to this episode on any of the platforms below

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