Illinois Insights: An Update from Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies (5/10)

PUBLIC HEALTH 

— IDPH Reports No Illinois Counties at an Elevated Community Level for COVID-19: “Data Reporting to Change at End of Public Health Emergencies on May 11,” from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

ILLINOIS

AROUND THE STATE 

— Former Gov. Quinn calls on Pritzker, General Assembly leaders to call a special session on ethics reform: “Former Gov. Pat Quinn is calling on Gov. JB Pritzker and the legislative leaders to convene a special session to pass ethics reform following the guilty verdict last week against ComEd associates,” by The Daily Line.

— Bill to put Uber and Lyft under taxi-like liability rules advances in Springfield: “House Bill 2231 would classify ride-shares as ‘common carriers,’ meaning the companies can be held liable, rather than just the drivers, for accidents or injuries to passengers. Currently in Illinois, common carriers include taxicabs, railways and elevators, among others,” by Crain’s Chicago Business.

— Business groups, advocates reach agreement to move salary transparency bill forward: “HB3129’s top proponents, Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) and Sarah Labadie from Women Employed were joined by Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Government Relations Brad Tietz in the Senate Executive Committee last week to announce stakeholders reached an agreement over the final language of the proposed bill. The bill passed the committee Thursday on a partisan 8-4 vote,” by The Daily Line.

CHICAGO

Lightfoot issues emergency declaration, City Council committee approves $51M budget amendment to support new arrivals

Mayor Lori Lightfoot declared a state of emergency Tuesday in response to the rising number of migrants seeking sanctuary in Chicago.

The emergency declaration allows the mayor “the authority to request the Governor of the State of Illinois to mobilize the National Guard to provide staffing and logistical support to address this emergency in the City of Chicago.” It also gives the city’s chief procurement officer emergency increased purchasing powers to respond to the crisis.

Just before Lightfoot’s announcement, the City Council Committee on Budget and Government Operations approved an ordinance (SO2023-2605) that would use $51 million from the city’s 2021 surplus to close an expected gap in funding to support migrants through the end of June. The city has received just $4 million from the federal government this year to address the migrant crisis, an amount Lightfoot calls a “slap in the face.”

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will be traveling to Washington D.C. today, and while the original purpose of his trip was supposed to be a general meet-and-greet in an effort to build relationships at the federal level, a new urgency amid the surge of migrants arriving in Chicago and an increased need for federal assistance will prove to be an early test of Johnson’s leadership.

MORE FROM CITY HALL 

— Lightfoot gives farewell address with notes of optimism and hope: “Mayor Lori Lightfoot gave her farewell address Monday touting her four years as mayor as one marked not only by challenges like the pandemic, civil unrest and an inherited budget deficit but one filled with hope and equity,” by The Daily Line.

— Aldermen to vote on special events ordinance after initial fracas over Taste of Chicago scheduling causes delay: “After an initial vote was scuttled in March as the city figured out how to hold both The Taste of Chicago and a NASCAR race in the city’s downtown this summer, aldermen on Wednesday are set to vote on Chicago’s special events calendar for the year,” by The Daily Line.

— Chicago Launches Recovery Plan Data Transparency Website: “Today, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced the launch of a new data transparency website to enhance public access to key information on the City services and community investments made possible through the Chicago Recovery Plan,” from the Office of Mayor Lightfoot.

FEDERAL

Beltway Briefing: Muddled Picture of the Economy

High prices, rising interest rates, stubborn inflation, and banking uncertainty be damned: the U.S. labor market is still chugging along. Employers added 253,000 jobs in April, a higher-than-expected number that suggested the labor market remains strong despite the Fed’s continued campaign to fight inflation.

Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Rodney Davis, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the latest jobs report and its impact on the overall economy. And, ahead of a looming June 1 deadline to raise the debt ceiling and avoid the first default in U.S. history, they also discuss what the White House and lawmakers are doing to revive the stalled debt-limit negotiations.

Listen to the full Beltway Briefing here.

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