Subject: POLITICO Illinois Playbook, presented by Nuclear Matters: SPRINGFIELD school formula fight – RAHM losing LUCAS PR battle -- Dist. 211 TRANSGENDER lawsuit
From: Natasha Korecki <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 5 May 2016 05:37:44 -0600

05/05/2016 07:35 AM EDT

By Natasha Korecki ([email-masked]; @natashakorecki) with Manuela Tobias ([email-masked]; @manuelatobiasm)  

Good Thursday morning, Illinois. Activity is ramping up in Springfield as lawmakers and the governor's office scramble to come together on a spending plan before the end of the session and a way to fund schools so they open on time in the fall. 

Developments: An education funding overhaul bill hit a road bump after the Illinois State Board of Education released numbers showing district-by-district impact of the proposed legislation. Bill sponsor Andy Manar accused the Rauner administration of trying to sabotage a vote, while Republicans complained the changes amounted to a bailout of Chicago public schools. 

-- Democrats' so-called "fair tax" push that was supposed to transform how the state taxes individuals hit a brick wall. That means it missed the deadline to send it to the Senate in time to make it onto this fall's ballot. 

-- Human services providers who haven't been paid by the state in a year, filed a $100 million lawsuit against Gov. Bruce Rauner and agencies. 

In Chicago, the Lucas Museum debate intensified as city hall took court action to try to lift a legal block to moving forward with construction. But as the battle wears on, City Hall increasingly finds itself facing unappealing optics of pouring time and resources into the construction of a museum on premier public, lakefront land to seemingly serve wealthy, powerful interests. 

Judging by social media, Lucas' threat of taking a lakefront museum elsewhere has been met with little more than shrug by Chicagoans who are grappling with violence in their neighborhoods, a struggling school system and the prospect of more tax hikes. 

Let's start with the education funding battle in Springfield: 

HELPING POOR DISTRICTS OR A BAILOUT? -- "Republicans use state board figures to attack Manar education bill," by Lee Enterprises' Dan Petrella: "Senate Republicans used the release of long-awaited figures from the Illinois State Board of Education on Wednesday as ammunition for a renewed attack on a Democratic proposal to overhaul the way the state funds public schools. Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, has been working for several years on legislation that aims to shift more state money to poorer school districts and was waiting for the state board to release a district-by-district analysis of his proposed funding formula before calling it for a vote. 

The board's release of the figures did little to change the conversation about the bill at the Capitol. Taking the lead for his caucus, Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington ... said the numbers showed that Manar's plan has become 'a vehicle for a major bailout of the bankrupt Chicago school system.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3412faf1137e0b87bc1b58c09422fdb220af906e85b7eb9f0cd 

FIGHT IS ON TODAY -- "Rauner move squashes Illinois school funding reform measure," by Chicago Tribune's Monique Garcia: "Manar ... sought to tamp down opposition by including a so-called hold harmless provision that would ensure no school district would receive less money during the first year of his plan. Those cuts would instead be phased in over four years ... 

"Manar accused Rauner of deliberately derailing a vote on his bill, saying state education officials have had his proposal since early February but only now decided to release figures when it was politically expedient for the governor. 'Everything is done by design by the governor's office. The governor claims he wants education funding reforms. His actions are the opposite of what he claims he wants to achieve.' ... Manar has since amended the legislation and is likely to push the revised measure for a full vote Thursday. The changes include extending the hold harmless provision to alternative schools and calling for the state to pick up less of Chicago's teacher pension costs." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3414aabc27873e3f244dd27f1c50f6df42433e6d73d67ae4013 

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Welcome to the POLITICO Illinois Playbook. Have a tip, event, announcement, endorsement? Send to [email-masked] or @natashakorecki 

SUBSCRIBE to Illinois Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341e343629e23241850be828c17ab43d679a578e82407adce4d 

INCOME TAX OVERHAUL GOES UP IN SMOKE -- "Sponsor shelves graduated income tax proposal, then blames Rauner for lack of votes," by State Journal-Register's Doug Finke: "A proposal to move the state to a graduated income tax died in the Illinois House on Wednesday when the sponsor opted not to call the bill for a vote. Rep. Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago, said he did not have enough votes to pass the proposed constitutional amendment that needed a three-fifths vote to pass the House. Mitchell blamed Gov. Bruce Rauner for twisting arms on 'three to five' Republican House members who Mitchell said were prepared to vote for the graduated income tax earlier in the week. He declined to name them.
 Wednesday was the latest the House could vote on the amendment to still give the Senate time to act before this week's deadline." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341bce5fe3a255f0688ac4be5b6ed8b76955fe6d37e7c7d0eb1 

SEND YOUR INVOICE TO THE COURT -- "Illinois service agencies sue Rauner for $100M past due," by The Associated Press' John O'Connor: "More than five dozen social service agencies sued Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday for $100 million in overdue payments, perhaps an inevitable byproduct of the historic 10-month budget stalemate. It's the latest in an increasingly complex web of legal, political and public-relations maneuvers to short-circuit the state Capitol deadlock over a budget plan that should have taken effect July 1. Rauner wants to make the state's business climate friendlier while Democrats who control the Legislature oppose his plans as anti-union and insist on dealing with
 a multibillion-dollar deficit." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341fa2bdce6e72905c04e717fe6c8f004c9a61299e0fbe7dbbc 

THOSE BEHIND IT -- "Social service groups sue Illinois for $100 million over unpaid work," by Reuters' Dave McKinney: "The plaintiffs, who provide services for sex-abuse victims, the homeless, senior citizens and at-risk youth, are suffering "acute financial hardship" as a result of the unresolved budget fight, according to the lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court. It is the latest attempt at judicial relief by groups hurt by the state's record-setting, 11-month budget impasse between the Republican governor and Democrats controlling the legislature." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341fb05f5173a1bd6bab0bff654ea6cefe1f4715bff7979abe3 

STATEHOUSE SCORECARD -- "What's Alive, What's Dead As Lawmakers Look To Change The State Constitution," by Illinois Public Radio's Amanda Vinicky: "A deadline is approaching for the legislature to act on proposed amendments to the Illinois constitution. They only have until the end of this week. Here's a rundown of where various proposals stand. Lawmakers can't change the state constitution on their own, but with supermajority votes, they can put potential changes before voters. One proposal, to eliminate the lieutenant governor's office, is dead. For others, it's make or break time: like a plan to allow for a graduated income tax, or the House Speaker's plan to enshrine education as a
 funding priority." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341ce16d977eef4f3c01a10deb52684c49f77fd9f8422778a03 

DEEP DIVE INTO ELECTED SCHOOL BOARDS -- "Illinois Issues: A Schooling in Democracy," by Tara Garcia Mathewson: "Chicago Public Schools is one of the few districts nationwide to have a school board composed of appointed members. Mayor Rahm Emanuel hand-picks the seven-member board, just like Mayor Richard M. Daley before him. If Chicago parents have a problem with the direction of the district, their only electoral recourse is voting out the mayor ... In 1995, the state legislature gave Daley complete power over the school district. ... Martwick wrote a bill that got near-unanimous support in the House of Representatives in March that would create a 21-member board of education ... The
 legislative activity at the state level follows overwhelming support from voters." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3414bcdedc17a70bf6bd4fd62d960ad85e42ec074090059a0ed 

CITY 

MORE COP STOPS BROUGHT 'NEGATIVE TRENDS' -- "Police Data Cast Doubt On Chicago-Style Stop-And-Frisk," by WBEZ News' Chip Mitchell: "The one chance for Chicago City Council members to question Eddie Johnson before approving him as police superintendent was an April 12 council hearing. The city's murder numbers were way up. But the police department was still staggering from the fallout of a video that showed an officer fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. The number of police stops had fallen off a cliff. Unquestioned at the hearing was an assumption: Police stops make the community safer. 

"But police department datasets reveal a complicated picture. The records, obtained by WBEZ through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, show negative trends as officers reported more stops: The gun seizures dropped, detectives solved fewer murders, and a decade-long decline in gun violence ended. Those numbers did not improve as the department developed one of the most intense stop-and-frisk programs in the nation." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3419700609d5f961b5172d49d0e4fd7687634a9c411374ed369 

LOOKING FOR PROTECTION -- "Cop in Laquan McDonald slaying proposes deputies protect him at courthouse," by Chicago Tribune's Steve Schmadeke: "An attorney for the Chicago police officer charged with murdering Laquan McDonald has proposed that Cook County sheriff's deputies guard the officer as he enters and exits the Leighton Criminal Court Building unless a judge allows him to skip court appearances. Attorney Daniel Herbert, who represents indicted Officer Jason Van Dyke, offered the suggestion in a court filing made public Wednesday while noting that prosecutors had first raised the possibility." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3410f787a5500450de65764b97693c3182196f0a3cf1daa982a 

CITY CALLS PARKS CLAIMS 'FRIVOLOUS' -- "Emanuel asks appellate court to lift Lucas roadblock," by Crain's Greg Hinz: "In a last-second bid to save the proposed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art for Chicago, the Emanuel administration is asking a federal appellate court to assume jurisdiction over and dismiss a Friends of the Parks suit that has blocked construction. According to a statement released by Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office, the city has filed a petition for a writ of mandamus asking the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to direct U.S. District Court Judge John Darrah to dismiss the suit. 'Friends of the Parks' claims for federal relief are frivolous, and we no longer can wait for the
 completion of legal proceedings to correct these legal errors on appeal,' Emanuel says in the statement." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3411c516de8151dbf539bf7fba81e253d2ecc493e4eb5328ff9 

'MORE PRESSING MATTERS...UNRESOLVED' -- "Emanuel spends political capital on Lucas Museum, has nothing to show for it," by the Chicago Tribune's Bill Ruthhart and John Byrne: "The museum maneuvering unfolded as more pressing matters that could determine Chicago's future remain unresolved. Crime is surging. The schools are running out of money. Teachers are talking strike this year. And Emanuel is trying to clean up the Chicago Police Department before a Justice Department investigation does it for him. 

"Through it all, Emanuel has spent considerable political capital on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, and so far he has nothing to show for it. Don't think the mayor isn't acutely aware of the optics, and even a bit sensitive when asked to discuss them. 'I can't stop you, because you'll say in your way, this is my loss. Go ahead. I don't really care how you do it,' Emanuel said Wednesday when asked if parks advocates' continued opposition marked a political blow.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341ec045a58b1ee707c946e9ba4fdfe3f77b1afe19e76b52dc0 

Related editorial: "The Lucas Museum debacle: Blame the law, not Friends of the Parks," Chicago Tribune: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec34113406ca66cec32200bb66eefe9078eddf0f7b3210e01d785 

PROBLEM SOLVED! -- "Waukegan pitches itself as alternative for Lucas Museum," by Lake County News-Sun's Emily K. Coleman: "With the future of a Lucas Museum on Chicago's lakefront in doubt, the city of Waukegan is asking the organizers to look a little to the north. Waukegan Mayor Wayne Motley reached out to Mellody Hobson, a Chicago financial executive and the wife of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, about locating the proposed museum featuring digital, traditional and narrative art on Waukegan's lakefront, a city spokesman said on Wednesday. The city of nearly 90,000 has been working to revitalize its once-industrial shoreline, putting together a comprehensive vision for the lakefront
 and downtown, purchasing vacant industrial lots and encouraging retail and residential development." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3411379dbf7da0dc573d134eb7d3b1545517a9c6e9dc9a8e020 

SUIT AIMS TO BAN TRANSGENDER BATHROOM ACCESS -- "Students sue school system, U.S. Dept. of Ed. over transgender access," by Chicago Tribune's Duaa Eldeib and Dawn Rhodes: "A group of suburban students and parents is suing the U.S. Department of Education and Illinois' largest high school district after school officials granted a transgender student access to the girls' locker room. In a lawsuit filed in federal court on Wednesday, the group contends that the actions of the Department of Education and Palatine-based Township High School District 211 'trample students' privacy and other constitutional and statutory rights by forcing 14- to 17-year-old girls to use locker rooms and restrooms
 with biological males.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341c14a6df84fa0adefc38e47f5f427e34226a06502dca3fcfa 

ACLU statement from Edwin Yohnka: "Today's lawsuit is a sad development by groups opposed to fair and humane treatment of all students, including those who are transgender. Over the past few weeks, a federal appellate court and the Chicago Public Schools have definitively embraced the idea that affirming the gender identity of all students, including by permitting students who are transgender access the appropriate rest room and locker room facilities, is not only legally required but also educationally beneficial for all students." 

KICKED TO THE CURB -- "Tribune Publishing rejects Gannett offer," by Chicago Tribune's Robert Channick: "Tribune Publishing's board voted unanimously to reject Gannett's $815 million unsolicited offer to buy the Chicago-based newspaper company. In a letter sent to Gannett on Wednesday, Tribune Publishing said after 'thorough consideration; and the assistance of legal and financial advisers, it determined the proposal understated the company's value and was not in the best interest of shareholders." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341655cedd5c6c92427b3d998e5b5ecdf4a3809ae603d1c43c8 

NEEDED: BILINGUAL MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS -- "In early childhood mental health, bilingual counselors in short supply," by Catalyst Chicago's Caroline Spiezio: "Dr. Virginia Qui&ntilde;&oacute;nez first realized the urgent need for bilingual mental health care providers after it took her weeks to find a psychiatrist for one Latino family in Chicago - a city where over a quarter of the population identifies as Latino. Qui&ntilde;&oacute;nez is the director of educational effectiveness at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She's seen firsthand the impact of having - or not having - mental health providers who clients can relate to. 'We need to get mental health providers who
 understand their clients, and that starts with getting someone who speaks their language,' Qui&ntilde;&oacute;nez said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3410da0e4e0dff89f0d627ba9c29bec56b0ece10a57cc537d67 

BAN ON PANHANDLING BAN -- "Crystal Lake ditches panhandling ban in wake of federal court ruling," by Northwest Herald's Kevin P. Craver: "A federal court's decision to strike down Springfield's anti-panhandling ordinance prompted the City Council to repeal its similar version. Council members voted Tuesday evening, 7-0, to officially strike the ordinance, which has not been enforced since last year, when the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Springfield's ordinance unconstitutional. This does not mean that panhandlers can act in the city with impunity. While the specific ordinance has not been enforced, the city's staff report states that existing laws forbidding trespassing,
 disorderly conduct and assault in more aggressive cases could successfully address complaints." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3415a677e6a3a3cd5a9d9d5087ec64e8247d48788618a6d037c 

EXPLORING TRUMP BALLOT IMPACT -- "Why Donald Trump will doom Republicans' Senate majority," by The Week's Ben Shull: "While many Republicans are worried that Trump will deep-six the party's chances at retaking the White House, Republican senators are reportedly in a state of denial about what he means for the other big 2016 showdown: the battle for Congress. They should wise up, fast. While Democrats' hopes for retaking the House are still slim, their chances in the Senate look increasingly good. Let's walk through why." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec3410a78695db5daa32f9beb51011e526da3e5df6cf91b19bf35 

MARK KIRK MAKES THE LIST -- "The tortured things GOP Senate candidates have said about Donald Trump, to date," by Washington Post's Amber Phillips: "After Tuesday, Senate Republicans can no longer dodge what has become a very clear reality: They can either support Donald Trump, their party's presumptive nominee, or not. According to our survey of all the GOP senators in March, most of them have signaled they'd support Trump - even though his now-presumptive nomination could ruin their chances to hold the chamber. That includes most of the vulnerable incumbents running for reelection in purple or blue states -- a fact Senate Democrats eagerly pointed out in this recent ad." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341c53375bb687c2175ef7be628072245f5c3d64ddcf1fb7d6c 

END TO KASICH'S NATIONAL BID -- "Kasich drops out of presidential race," by POLITICO's Daniel Strauss: "John Kasich ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, one day after Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee and Ted Cruz bowed out of the race. The Ohio governor had long ago been mathematically eliminated from clinching the GOP nomination outright but had hoped to emerge as a consensus candidate at a contested convention. On Wednesday, he acknowledged that his message failed to break through all the noise of the 2016 race but that he is optimistic about his future." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341aee73cefa59de1322337d66afe5de872920ef28bf4d86c88 

OR IS IT? -- "Trump: I'd vet Kasich for VP," by POLITICO's Nick Gass: "Though John Kasich has repeatedly and unequivocally said that he was not running to be vice president, Donald Trump said he would consider the Ohio governor as his running mate. 'I think John's doing the right thing,' Trump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an excerpt of a larger interview, in discussing Kasich's plan to drop out of the race later in the afternoon in Columbus, Ohio. Kasich 'will be very helpful with Ohio, even as governor,' Trump said. Asked by Blitzer whether he would be interested in considering Kasich on his ticket, Trump said, 'I would be interested in vetting John. I like John. I've had a good relationship
 with John. I've gotten along with him well.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec341d9e3ef8507f9887bc64f84826f6c8966f5f51ed10660c36c 

AROUND TOWN -- "What the hell are these giant construction projects around Chicago?" by Thrillist's Matt Spina: "For any Chicagoan stepping foot outside their apartment recently, it's obvious that we're pretty far removed for our Big Short recession slump as major construction is booming again. Cranes are as familiar a sight in River North as designer pooches and $14 cocktails. With so many major developments going on all over the city it's clear some parts of our beloved Chicago are going to look very different in just a few years. Here's a preview of some of the biggest changes coming to the Windy City set to take place by the year 2020." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c448b1e1e8ec34121ba5ebe306c08888c1f531ed84e44eadb09024d61bf12f1 

WHERE'S RAHM? In the morning, will deliver remarks at a celebration for the winners of the LearnStorm Challenge, an initiative to improve math skills for Chicago students in grades 3-12. 

WHERE'S RAUNER? In morning honors victims of the Holocaust at the Statewide Yom HaShoah Commemoration. Later attends Decatur Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, Illinois History Day Awards Ceremony and in the evening at Springfield Public Schools Cooperative Education Banquet. 

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In Illinois, nuclear energy plants provide 48 percent of the state's electricity and 90 percent of our carbon-free electricity. The existing nuclear energy plants in Illinois also support approximately 28,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $9 billion to the state's economy.

If we want to keep Illinois working, we need policies that will keep Illinois' state-of-the-art nuclear energy plants working for all of us. Join us at NuclearMatters.com. ** 

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