Illinois Insights: An Update from Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies (5/27)

Public Health

• Chicago now in high-risk COVID category, health officials strongly encourage indoor masking: “Chicago and  Cook County  are now at high risk for COVID-19 transmission, health officials say. The region crossed into the high-risk category this evening after COVID cases and hospitalizations have kept rising in recent weeks. The Chicago Department of Public Health now strongly recommends people wear masks in public indoor settings, the agency said Thursday night. CDPH says individual businesses are welcome to set their own requirements. Chicago ’s test positivity rate was 6% on Thursday. ” From Crain ’s Chicago Business.

Illinois

Pritzker signs package of carjacking bills into law

 On Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a package of legislation aimed at cracking down on carjackings in Illinois.

• House Bill 3699 expands the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Act to include carjackings. Bill sponsors say the legislation allows law enforcement to target carjackings more specifically – rather than focusing on vehicle theft more generally.
• House Bill 601 adds new items to the list of what the state considers “burglary tools ” individuals can use to break into a vehicle or home in an effort to crack down on vehicle thefts.
• Finally, House Bill 3772 will prevent car owners from being charged storage or towing fees if their cars are stolen.

More information is here.

Around the State

• Judge ends legal delay in awarding pot shop licenses: “A Cook County judge has cleared the way for Illinois to issue 185 licenses to open new marijuana dispensaries. Winners have six months to identify locations for their dispensaries but can seek a 180-day extension. Once their facilities are built out, they can seek final inspections from the state  to open the stores and be formally awarded a license. It ’s estimated that a store can cost $750,000 to $1.5 million to build and stock with inventory. A successful dispensary can be sold for $3 million to $5 million. ” From Crain ’s Chicago Business.
• Giannoulias, Valencia tear into each other in secretary of state forum: “A third candidate, David Moore, just watched as the two leaders in the race to succeed Jesse White engaged in verbal fisticuffs. ” From Crain ’s Chicago Business.
• Lawmakers seek answers about Ameren price hike but have few options to address problem this summer: “Ameren customers are facing a price hike of more than $600 on their electric bills during the next year, but there ’s little lawmakers can do to help bring costs down as they debate the role that a 2021 clean energy law plays into the reasons for the price hike. ” From The Daily Line.
• Pritzker urges feds to use ‘updated ’ numbers to boost Illinois ’ federal funding,  by Capitol News Illinois.
• Illinois public safety pension fund consolidation passes a legal test:  “An Illinois judge upheld the constitutionality of legislation consolidating suburban Chicago and downstate police pension and firefighter pension fund assets, ” by Bond Buyer.
• Foster children held in jails, shelters — workers threatened, attacked: A state agency in crisis:  “A BGA examination of DCFS under Smith found intensifying problems hampering the most fundamental parts of the agency’s mission: Finding appropriate placements for the youth in its care and ensuring the safety of its investigators, ” by the Better Government Association.
• llinois will investigate possible civil rights violations in student ticketing:  “The Illinois attorney general ’s office said it is trying to determine if a suburban Chicago school district violated students ’ civil rights when police ticketed them for minor misbehavior, ” by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica.

Chicago 

Aldermen stall ethics overhaul ordinance

A proposal ( O2022-1100) from Ald. Michele Smith (43) and the Chicago Board of Ethics to overhaul the city ’s ethics code for the first time since December 2019 faced its second setback this week, after  Ald. Michael Scott  (24) and  Ald. George Cardenas  (12) delayed a vote on the matter until next month.

Among other provisions, Smith ’s ordinance would disallow former aldermen from lobbying siting members on the City Council flor, would expand conflict-of-interest restrictions to apply to city employees ’ relatives, and would direct aldermen who recuse themselves from votes to fully leave City Council chambers.

A full summary of the measure is available here.

More from City Hall

• Stricter curfew approved by divided City Council:  “Mayoral allies and critics alike again condemned the crackdown as a desperate response that will have no impact on an outbreak of youth violence downtown — but signed off on it anyway, ” by the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Baristas at two Chicago Starbucks become the city ’s first to unionize,  by the Chicago Tribune.
• Early voting for June primary pushed back in Chicago to May 31:  “Officials say that the change was required after 1st Congressional District candidate Stephany Rose Spaulding was removed from the ballot, and after Cook County Sheriff candidates Carmen Navarro Gercone and Noland Rivera were added to the ballot following legal challenges, ” via NBC 5.

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