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Shia Kapos' must-read rundown of political news in the Land of Lincoln | | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | With help from Olivia Olander TGIF, Illinois. It’s been two years since the U.S. Capitol was mobbed, and President Joe Biden warns that the Big Lie remains.
|  | TOP TALKER | | The Illinois House passed a ban on assault-style weapons at 12:47 a.m. today with Gov. JB Pritzker in the chamber for the two hours of sometimes-heated floor debate before the vote. Grim anniversary: The 64-43 vote came six months after the July fourth mass shooting in suburban Highland Park in which seven people were killed and 48 wounded. Praise from Pritzker: The governor issued a statement after the vote saying Illinois residents expect lawmakers “to tackle tough issues” and the gun legislation — and a separate bill on reproductive rights — are “historic steps in the right direction.” Both bills head to the Senate, where lawmakers have been working on their own version of an assault-weapons ban that could pop up today. The governor and Democratic leaders want to pass legislation during the lame duck session that runs right up until noon on Wednesday when the next General Assembly takes office. Looming concern: On the floor, Rep. Fred Crespo said “I'm concerned about what the Senate is going to do. If the Senate does not pick up this bill and we don't pass anything at all and end up empty-handed, you're basically giving people a false sense of hope,. And that is a crime in itself.” Devil in the details: The gun measure prohibits making, possessing, delivering or purchasing assault weapons — with exceptions if you’re in the military or a police officer. The duration of a Firearm Restraining Order “FRO” would go from six months to one year. And there’s a grandfather clause that allows current assault weapons owners to keep their guns as long as they’re properly registered. More details here. Along with Democrats voting for the bill, Republican House Leader Jim Durkin did, too. The move prompted criticism from fellow Republican Rep. Andrew Chesney, who said it was “nonsense” and that “no wonder” Republicans are losing traction in the House. High emotions during debate: House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch talked about the gun violence that changed his life. When he was a child, his aunt was gunned down in front of their church. Welch’s parents took in his three cousins. Here’s some background. Families grieving: Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth recalled her son, Derrick Booth Jr., who would have been 31 this week. He was gunned down nine years ago by an illegal weapon. AndCrespo said three of his family members over the years were killed by guns. Their stories didn’t sway Republicans, who said weapons aren’t the problem, shooters are. They criticized the bill for not addressing systemic issues within communities that fuel crime and for not addressing mental health as part of the problem. Rep. Bob Morgan, who carried the gun legislation and was on the scene of the Highland Park shooting, called the bill’s passage “monumental.” In a statement, he credited “all the activists, organizers and survivors who have flooded this building with their advocacy.” On the House floor, he urged lawmakers to support a separate resolution being introduced that supports “wrap-around services” for communities as it relates to gun violence. About the abortion bill: House lawmakers also passed a measure that protects out-of-staters coming to Illinois for reproductive health care or to perform abortions. Rep. Kelly Cassidy carried the legislation that passed 67-41 and now heads to the Senate. Crain’s Katherine Davis has details.
| | THE BUZZ | | Greg Bales, the longtime senior adviser to Sen. Dick Durbin, just made the leap to lobbying. Bales is now senior vice president on McGuireWoods’ Illinois Government Relations team. Why he made the move: “I have been [with Durbin’s team] for 11 years. I had the best job in the office,” Bales told Playbook. “The opportunity came up and so I did a lot of soul searching about leaving government. Ultimately, I thought it was a good time.” His beat: Bales will be working in Springfield and Washington. “It’s what’s enticing,” he said, adding his experience working on infrastructure spending, earmarks and economic development will likely come in handy. Before working on Durbin’s team, Bales was regional director for Illinois Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson and was a policy adviser for the Illinois Department of Transportation. Campaign work: Bales also was Hillary Clinton's Illinois state director and campaign manager for Congressman Sean Casten. If you’re Rep. Andrew Chesney, Playbook would like to know your thoughts on getting Republicans on the same page. (And cc: Congressman Kevin McCarthy while you’re at it.) Email skapos@politico.com.
| | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events.
| | WHERE'S LORI | | No official public events.
| | Where's Toni | | At the office of Commissioner Frank Aguilar at 5 p.m. to celebrate Three Kings Day (also known as Epiphany) and distribute toys and community resources. Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? I’d like to hear from you: skapos@politico.com
| | THE STATEWIDES | | — Illinois Supreme Court to hear arguments in March about elimination of cash bail, by Tribune’s Madeline Buckley and Jeremy Gorner — IDOT improvements will continue throughout the year, via Taylorville Daily News — New report shows 171 kids on DCFS radar died in last 18 months, reports CBS 2’s Chris Tye
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Mike Coffey to fill Butler's House seat: “Coffey manages the downtown supper club Saputo's Twins Corner, which is owned by his parents, and owns the west-side eatery Papa Frank's,” by Illinois Times’ Scott Reeder
| | 2023 MUNICIPAL RACES | | — Willie Wilson has pulled out of a Crain’s candidate forum to protest a survey on the mayor's race, according to a statement. “Crain’s published a poll that seeks to mislead the voters of Chicago,” he said. The survey put him at 3 percent, behind Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Brandon Johnson and Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “Public polling has consistently had me at or above 12 percent,” Wilson said. Block Club Chicago’s Kelly Bauer notes: “A similar survey from Crain’s, The Daily Line and ABC7 last spring was criticized by professional pollsters, who wrote in a Crain’s op-ed that the survey’s collection methods had ‘massive’ flaws and respondents did not represent the city’s population.” — Jesus “Chuy” Garcia has been endorsed in his bid for mayor of Chicago by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Divisions 294, 575 and Division 815/GCA620. — 10 candidates are vying to replace retiring Ald. Harry Osterman. Here’s what 48th Ward voters should know, by Block Club’s Mack Liederman
| | MIGRANTS IN ILLINOIS | | — Plan to house migrants at former Chicago school delayed amid community pushback; mayor says city is at ‘maximum capacity, by Tribune’s Laura Rodríguez Presa and Alice Yin
| | CHICAGO | | — Invited in — and shut out — of Invest South/West:“While the city vowed to involve locals, residents say they’ve felt shut out of any real decision-making,” report Illinois Answers Project’s Rachel Hinton and Sidnee King. — Return of Chicago cop who lied about ties to Proud Boys will erode trust in police, civil rights group says, via WTTW’s Heather Cherone — Teachers union says Lightfoot pulls offer of 12 weeks of parental leave for CPS employees, by Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman and Nader Issa — General Iron owner says ‘smoking gun’ from Ald. Garza shows permit was wrongly denied, by Sun-Times’ Brett Chase reports. — Schools masking absenteeism by misreporting truant CPS students as transfers, dropouts, IG says, by Sun-Times’ Nader Issa and WTTW’s Sarah Karp — CPS wants former student’s family to pay $56,000 over allegations of lying about residency, by Sun-Times’ Nader Issa.
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — More PPP loan fraud by Cook County employees uncovered, some fired, watchdog reports, by Tribune’s A.D. Quig — Oak Lawn denies officers beat teen whose arrest sparked protests, asks that lawsuit be dropped, by Daily Southtown’s Mike Nolan
| | DAY IN COURT | | — Longtime judge, former public defender Stuart Lubin appointed as interim presiding judge in juvenile court, by Tribune’s Madeline Buckley — City ignores housing rules for people with disabilities, lawsuit says, by Crain’s Dennis Rodkin
| | Reader Digest | | We asked what future event you’d want to witness: Jan V. Kostner, corporate relations VP at Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce: “I’d like to be one of the first passengers on the new supersonic planes that American and United Airlines are debuting in 2029.” Daniel Goldwin: “My beloved Buffalo Bills winning the Super Bowl (Pray for Damar Hamlin.)!” Chasity Wells-Armstrong and Lisa Badger want to witness in person the inauguration of the first woman president in the United States. Marilynn Miller wants to attend the inauguration of a Democratic woman as president of the U.S. Joseph Monack: “Another comet as big, bright and beautiful as Hale-Bopp.” Kevin Morris: “2026 World Cup.” Rey Nonato: “The inaugural ceremony of the mayor of Chicago in May.” Alison Pure-Slovin: “The coronation of King Charles.” (It’s May 6.) Bill Velazquez: “The election of the first POTUS of Latino descent.” Warren Silver: “Any of my grandchildren’s weddings. Considering I'm in my 60s and don't have any grandchildren yet, it's an ambitious goal.” What might emerge from the GOP chaos in Congress this week? Email skapos@politico.com
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Enablers, line-straddlers and quiet resisters: How GOP lawmakers contributed to Jan. 6, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu — Dems bask in the speaker schadenfreude, by POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu and Sarah Ferris — McCarthy fails on 11th ballot amid hopes for tentative deal with conservatives, by POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers, Sarah Ferris, Jordain Carney and Rachael Bade — What history tells us about Kevin McCarthy’s chances: There’s an Illinois angle, reports Joshua Zeitz for POLITICO
| | TRANSITIONS | | — Jon Heppen has joined Sen. Angus King’s (I-Maine) office as a legislative assistant overseeing health policy. He had worked for Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), who didn’t seek reelection in 2022. — Dan Lewis is director of legislative affairs at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. He had been a legislative liaison with the department and before that spent five years working for Sen. Dick Durbin and several political campaigns. — David Feller is now senior adviser for legislative affairs at the Cook County Sheriff's Office. He was senior adviser for community engagement in the office, and separately ran Sheriff Tom Dart's successful 2022 re-election campaign. — Megan Juel has joined Michael Best’s Chicago office as senior counsel to the law firm’s employee benefits and compensation team. Juel most recently was a senior associate at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.
| | IN MEMORIAM | | Sean O’Shea’s visitation and funeral details are here.
| | TRIVIA | | THURSDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Jon Maxson, senior adviser to the Illinois House speaker, for correctly answering that Morris Day, of Morris Day and the Time band, is Springfield-born and appeared in “Purple Rain.” TODAY’s QUESTION: What Springfield restaurant claims to have started the first drive-thru window in the United States? Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Today: State Rep. Marty Moylan, G-PAC President Kathleen Sances, abortion rights advocate Terry Cosgrove, Kivvit Managing Director Eric Herman , lobbyist Al Kindle, Rose Capital Group CEO Rob Rose, Ketchum Managing Director Claire Koeneman, University of Chicago professor emeritus Stuart A. Rice, Associated Press-NORC Center senior research scientist David Sterrett and journalist Eric Zorn. Saturday: Ald. Silvana Tabares, North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Rosa Silva, Cicero trustee Blanca Vargas, retired judge and cannabis entrepreneur Shelli Hayes,Illinois Commerce Commission adviser Bryant Hitchings, Val Deming finance chair Alex Milofsky and businessman and brother to the governor Tony Pritzker. Sunday: State Rep. Kathleen Willis, former Congressman Mel Reynolds, Catholic Charities’ Strategic Initiatives Director Matthew McCabe and business networker George Bliss. And belated birthday candles to Chicago Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey, who turned 100 on Thursday, via NFL.com -30- | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
