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Shia Kapos' must-read rundown of political news in the Land of Lincoln | | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | Happy Thursday, Illinois. In his latest legal drama, former President Donald Trump is the target of an ongoing criminal investigation, according to POLITICO reporting.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker joins with Democrat from the General Assembly, and some of their children, to sign the fiscal year 2024 budget at Christopher House, an early education center in Chicago. | POLITICO's Shia Kapos | Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law a $50.4 billion state budget Wednesday that increases funding for education, affordable housing, combatting homelessness and expanded grocery programs in underserved urban and rural communities. The budget also puts money into the state’s underfunded pension, summer youth jobs and Chicago’s efforts to help migrants, though not as much as the city wanted. It was all cheers and hurrah from supporters at the budget-signing at Christopher House, an early education center in Chicago’s Belmont-Cragin neighborhood. Pritzker even got a standing ovation. It might have seemed over the top, but many of the lawmakers who joined the governor remember a few years before his administration when the state went without a budget at all. So they savored the moment Wednesday. “Just look at what we’ve accomplished. We eliminated overdue bills, paid down $10.5 billion in debt, including pension debt. Our once-empty Rainy Day Fund is now rising to $2 billion. Our GDP has surpassed $1 trillion, and we have more jobs available than ever before,” Pritzker said. “And if you don’t love all of that, each of the major credit rating agencies has given us multiple credit upgrades.” Almost unnoticed was a reduction veto — only Pritzker’s second veto in the five years he’s signed budgets. In a statement, the governor’s office described it as a fix for an “inadvertent” mistake when lawmakers last month voted themselves a 5.5 percent raise. State law says the maximum they can get is 5 percent. The tweak puts legislative salaries at $89,250 starting July 1, instead of $89,675. The hallmark of the budget is its broad support for education, including a $350 million investment for kindergarten through 12th grade statewide and $100 million for college scholarships and free access to community colleges. Not included was renewed funding for the Invest in Kids scholarship program that helps low-income and working class families afford private and parochial schools. Donors to the scholarship program get a tax break, and that wasn’t part of the budget. Pritzker told reporters Wednesday that “there’s time still for that program to be considered” during the fall veto session. The budget otherwise drew praise Wednesday from fellow Democrats Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Don Harmon, the House speaker and Senate president, respectively, while Republicans scoffed. House GOP leader Tony McCombie said the budget is so big — the largest Illinois has seen — that she says it “guarantees future tax hikes.” SOME TAKEAWAYS: Pritzker’s action shows that the Illinois governor has broad veto powers, writes Brenden Moore in the Pantagraph The spending package is the largest budget in state history, reports ABC 7’s Craig Wall A who’s who of state Dems attended the signing, by Capitol News’ Andrew Adams and Jerry Nowicki Dems called the budget “balanced in every sense,” by Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles It was signed after “disputes among Democrats over spending priorities” were eventually resolved, write Tribune’s Dan Petrella and Jeremy Gorner
| | CONVENTION ZONE | | The Illinois Democratic Party is working to put forward the most diverse group of delegates the state has ever seen at a party convention. They’ve got a plan: In September, Illinois Democrats will kick off their Affirmative Action, Outreach and Inclusion Plan to generate interest and get candidates to run as delegates for the 2024 Democratic Convention. The effort is part of a goal set by the Democratic National Committee to shift the power from party insiders to a broader coalition of Democrats. Four years ago, the party limited the number of superdelegates to the convention. For the 2024 convention, party leaders want to see diverse faces standing up for President Joe Biden, their presumed candidate. Illinois Dems are going a step further and adding 15 percent to the numbers recommended by the DNC. Their goal is to get 47 Black delegates, 36 Latinos, 10 members from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, 26 persons with disabilities, 12 LGBTQ delegates, one Native American delegate and at least 65 “youth” delegates — folks between 18 and 35 years old. “The goals that we have set forth are aggressive, but I think they’re necessary because we live in a wonderfully diverse state,” Illinois Democratic Party Executive Director Ben Hardin told Playbook. They’re excited: Party leaders expect that having a convention in their home state will generate more interest in being a delegate. Along with hometown pride, delegates wouldn’t have to pay for airfare to fly to a convention in another state. It’s no surprise that diversity is important. One of the draws of Chicago as a convention city was its diversity. The city is split nearly in thirds among Black, Latino and white communities with Asian Americans growing in numbers across the city. Once candidates are identified, they’ll start to circulate nominating positions in October before filing to run as a delegate in January. The top vote getters will be decided with the March 19 Illinois primary. Top elected officials will be superdelegates. And there are special delegates, too, including Barack Obama.
| | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events.
| | WHERE's BRANDON | | In City Hall at noon to announce changes to the Chicago Public Schools parental leave policy.
| | Where's Toni | | At Moonlight Studies at 9 a.m. to give the keynote address at the Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) Conference — At Pampered Princess Spa in Broadview at 11:30 p.m. for the small business’ grand opening through the Cook County Land Bank Authority. Thank you for reading Illinois Playbook! Drop me a line sometime: skapos@politico.com
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | THE STATEWIDES | | — Illinois' grocery tax suspension will soon end: “Last year, on July 1, Illinois' 1 percent grocery tax was suspended as part of a state budget plan aimed at providing relief to families struggling with rising costs of goods and inflation,” via NBC 5. Commentary: A growing deficit could mean tax hikes by 2025, Jim Nowlan, the former president of the Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois, writes in the Tribune — Had to read this twice: 3 dismembered heads left at employee’s desk after complaints raised about alleged misconduct, by Tribune’s Nell Salzman. It happened at the Anatomical Gift Association of Illinois offices.
| | | CHICAGO | | | — Sterling Bay asks Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund to rescue Lincoln Yards: “The pitch to the $12.1 billion pension fund, as laid out during the meeting by Sterling Bay CEO Andy Gloor: Buy into Lincoln Yards at between $100 and $150 per square foot — potentially a more than $300 million commitment — to replace the project's existing financial backers at steep discounts and help inject life into a stagnant project that could generate billions of dollars in new tax revenue for the city over the next couple decades,” writes Crain’s Danny Ecker. The irony: Sterling Bay came to the project after winning a huge taxpayer subsidy over opposition from Chicago Public School teachers. Now the developer wants teachers to invest pension money in the project, via WBEZ’ Dan Mihalopoulos. — Mayor Brandon Johnson ‘looking forward’ to continuing work with CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, by WTTW’s Matt Masterson — After video call, Bears CEO Kevin Warren and Mayor Brandon Johnson issue statement as team explores options, via NBC 5. Sun-Times Fran Spielman’s take here, and Tribune Greg Pratt’s take here. — The Additional Dwelling Unit program is ripe for expansion in Chicago, reports Alex Nitkin in Illinois Answers Project — Chicago area air quality improving, but wildfire effects may linger a few days, by Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo — Blues Fest to kick off full force after pandemic cancellations, constraints, by Sun-Times’ Mitch Dudek
| | CORRUPTION CHRONICLES | | — Ex-state Sen. Terry Link testifies about his turn as a government mole in federal bribery trial of Berrios son-in-law: “Link, 76, is the star prosecution witness in the case against James Weiss, the son-in-law of former Cook County Democratic boss Joseph Berrios, who is accused of agreeing to pay bribes to [former state Rep. Luis] Arroyo and Link in order to advance legislation that would help his sweepstakes gaming business,” by Tribune’s Ray Long and Jason Meisner.
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — A bear sighting near Gurnee Mills mall prompts police investigation, by Daily Herald’s Christopher Placek — Group wants to build $21M affordable housing development in Elgin. Neighbors oppose it, by Daily Herald’s James Fuller
| | | | GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | We asked what you hope the Democratic Convention might bring Chicago economics-wise. But all you wanted to talk about was the politics of the presidential race. What wild animal have you seen in your neighborhood? Email skapos@politico.com
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — Democratic Congressman Eric Sorenson (IL-17) took questions from listeners on C-Span’s Washington Journal about immigration, oil production and trans issues. He called legislation attacking transgender rights “a manufactured problem by extremists.” And he said: “If we don’t allow families to do what they need to for their kids, the kids will give up on their lives.”
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — GOP’s booming support for guns is turning off millennial, Gen Z Republicans, by POLITICO’s Juan Perez Jr. — Why Mike Pence thinks he has a prayer in 2024, by POLITICO’s Adam Wren — The real reason Chris Licht got fired: The ousted CNN chief never had a chance, by POLITICO’s Jack Shafer — ‘Unprecedented does not begin to describe this event’: Wildfire haze smothers East Coast, by POLITICO’s Sean Reilly
| | KUDOS | | — Stomping Ground Strategies, a Chicago-based Latina and women-owned communications firm, won a Silver Polaris Award for a mail piece it developed for Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez's re-election campaign. The Polaris Awards is a competition for political and public sector communication.
| | | TRIVIA | | | WEDNESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Jim Bray and Robert Christie for correctly answering that Dave O’Neal resigned as lieutenant governor during Gov. Jim Thompson’s term because he was bored. TODAY’s QUESTION: Why was the University of Illinois known for a time as Harvard on the Rocks? Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | State Sen. Laura Murphy, state Sen. Tom Bennett, Peoria Convention and Visitors Bureau President JD Dalfonso, outreach director for Rep. Eric Sorenson Rachael Lund, BGA policy analyst Geoffrey Cubbage, Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago associate VP Patti Frazin, political consultant Kady McFadden, UIC News Bureau Senior Associate Director Carlos Sadovi and mega-star and Chicago native Kanye West. -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 | | | | |  |
