Illinois State House District 41 issued the following announcement on Aug. 6.
Wehrli Sponsors Legislation to Strip Madigan of Title of Speaker of the House
As the pay-to-play scheme involving ComEd and Speaker of the House Mike Madigan continues to make headlines, as of only a small handful of Democrats have joined Republicans in calling for Mike Madigan’s immediate resignation. To the Democrats in the House and Senate who have boldly issued statements demanding he step down immediately, I say thank you. I remain disappointed in the vast majority of Democrats who continue to remain silent on this most serious breach of ethics involving the individual federal investigators have named “Public Official A” in their sprawling investigation into political corruption in Illinois.
Madigan’s designation as “Public Official A” places the Speaker at the epicenter of the investigation. The apparent disinterest within the Democratic caucus is unsettling, and last week House Republicans took the first step in forcing the Speaker’s ouster. I was proud to join my colleagues in sponsoring HR 885, which would show a vote of ‘no confidence’ in Speaker Madigan and remove him from the role of Speaker of the House.
HR 855 points to the deferred prosecution agreement entered into on July 17 between ComEd and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois and states that trust in the Speaker has been misplaced for many years. The resolution goes on to state that members of the House of Representatives have no confidence that Mike Madigan can continue in the role of Speaker and is removed from the position.
The facts of the ComEd/Madigan case are clear and are undisputed. ComEd admitted that between 2011-2019, it arranged for jobs, contracts and payoffs to Madigan allies, some of whom did little or no work for their compensation. ComEd admitted they did these favors in order to please Madigan, who controls the movement, or non-movement, of bills in the Illinois House. In this case, Madigan pushed through two pieces of legislation that enriched ComEd on the backs of consumers. ComEd further admitted that they paid out $1.3 million to gain this favor with Mike Madigan.
In a recent press conference, I called on the Governor to bring the legislature back to Springfield to address ethics reform, including HR 885. You can watch my comments here. If you would like to sign a petition urging the Governor to reconvene the legislature for a special session on ethics reform, click here.
Naperville Ramping Up Efforts to Encourage Mask Wearing
As stores and businesses reopen, the downtown Naperville area is seeing a marked increase in pedestrian traffic. While people are doing a good job of wearing masks inside stores, the wearing of masks on crowded sidewalks is falling short. In response, City Council members are working on a public service campaign to promote the wearing of masks in public, including in outdoor spaces where six feet of distance cannot be maintained. The council stopped short of issuing a city mandate through a local ordinance, but be looking for these PSAs in the coming weeks. As a reminder, per executive order, face coverings are required to be worn in Illinois in indoor public places and in outdoor public places when six-foot social distancing is not possible.
Local Schools to Begin 2020-2021 School Year with Remote Learning
After initially putting plans in place for hybrid learning for students, School Districts 203 and 204 have now changed course and will begin the 2020-2021 school year with remote learning. These decisions were not made lightly, but with the best interest of student and staff health and safety in mind. My office has received calls and emails from families on both sides of this issue, from those who believe remote learning is best under the circumstances, to those who believe students cannot receive the education they need without direct classroom instruction. Families have been notified of the change, but additional information can be found at the following web sites:
District 203: https://www.naperville203.org/domain/1649
District 204: http://www.ipsd.org/Subpage.aspx/ReturnToSchool
Governor Issues New Guidance Restricting Youth Sports
Governor Pritzker recently announced new guidance restricting youth and adult recreational organized sports in Illinois. That includes school-based sports such as those governed by the IHSA and IESA, travel clubs, private leagues, recreational leagues and sports centers and Park District sports programs. The restrictions do not include professional sports leagues, or collegiate level sports. The new restrictions go into effect on August 15.
The newly released guidance categorizes sports into three risk levels, low, medium, or high, based on the amount of contact between athletes and their proximity during play. The guidance sets four levels of play allowed based on current public health conditions.
In level 1, only no-contact practices are allowed and they must be outside.
In level 2, indoor and outdoor practices and intra-team scrimmages are allowed but there can be no competitive play.
In level 3 intra-conference, intra-region or intra-league play is allowed and there may be state- or league-championship games allowed for low-risk sports only.
In level 4, tournaments, out-of-conference play, and out-of-state play are allowed. State championship games would also be allowed in level 4.
Beginning Saturday, August 15th, low-risk sports can be played at levels 1, 2, and 3. Medium risk sports can be played at levels 1 and 2, and high-risk sports can be played at level 1. Please see the guidance for youth and adult recreational sports document for more detailed information.
Spots Filling Up Fast for Wehrli’s FREE Child ID Event
On August 20, I am partnering with the Naperville Police Department for a free Child I.D. event at my Naperville office, located at 55 S. Main Street, #383. Several of the timeslots have already been filled. This event is limited to 90 children and is scheduled by appointment only. Parents/guardians will leave with an official I.D. that includes a photo, fingerprints and personal information about each child. Information collected is for parent/guardian use only; police do not keep a copy. Only one family will be permitted in the office at a time, and families can reserve spots between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM by calling my office at (630) 696-4160.
Illinois Treasurer Tips Hand on Plans to Tax Retirement Income if Graduated Income Tax Passes
One thing Illinois has going for it is that we do not tax retirement income. But in a recent press conference in Des Plaines, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs let it slip that if the graduated income tax ballot question passes in November, taxes on retirement income is a new revenue stream the state will consider. In the speech, Frerichs said, “One thing a progressive tax would do is make clear you can have graduated rates when you are taxing retirement income. And I think that’s something that’s worth discussion.”
While some government leaders look for more ways to tax Illinoisans, a 2019 poll by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute found that 73% of the public is against taxing retirement income. Illinois is one of three states that does not tax retirement income. The fact that we do not currently tax retirement income is a definite incentive when it comes to retaining retired workers without losing them to more tax-friendly states.
Illinois voters will decide in November is Illinois should retain its “flat tax” structure or remove that protection to provide for the ability to impose different rates on different classifications of earners.
Naperville Joins List of Utility Companies Extending Moratorium on Disconnections
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has announced that several of the state’s large and small regulated electric, natural gas, water and sewer utilities have voluntarily agreed to keep residential customers connected for an additional month due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns. An original moratorium on disconnections expired on July 26, 2020, but with the voluntary extension, disconnections for residential customers will not occur for most customers until September 2020. Several utilities have also extended similar relief to business customers and have agreed to continue waiving late fees. The City of Naperville has also extended its moratorium on electricity disconnections until September.
Ameren Illinois, Aqua Illinois, Consumer Gas, ComEd, Illinois American Water, Liberty, Nicor, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas, Utility Services of Illinois are among the utilities with extended moratoriums on service disconnections.
On June 18, 2020, the ICC approved the initial COVID-19 utility relief agreements, which were the product of negotiations between thirteen utility companies and numerous consumer advocacy groups and parties. In addition to extending the moratorium on disconnections and late payment fees, the agreements provided historic consumer protections involving utility credit and collection practices, deferred payment agreements, and temporary waivers of reconnection fees and new deposit requirements.
Call to Action: Medicaid is Essential for People with Developmental Disabilities in Illinois
The 41st District is home to many residents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). In a recent meeting of my Developmental Disabilities Task Force, leaders from Little Friends, Ray Graham, UCP Sequin, self-advocates, and others brought perspective to the impact COVID-19 has had on people with disabilities and the agencies that serve them.
Most people are unaware that Medicaid provides much more than healthcare. Withoutfederal Medicaid legislation and funding, there would be no Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for adults with developmental disabilities (or other disabilities or senior citizens) as this is a federally approved Medicaid waiver program. Medicaid, matched with federal dollars in Illinois, is operated through the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities. Unfortunately, in Illinois, thousands of adults remain on a waiting list seeking services.
The developmentally disabled community has been largely excluded from COVID-19 Federal relief packages. As Congress wrestles with a new COVID-19 relief package, members of my task force have stressed the importance of the following:
Increase Medicaid funding for HCBS
Classify direct support workers and personal support assistants as “essential workers”
Expand economic supports for parents and family members who provide care for adults with disabilities
What can you do?
Please consider taking a few minutes to call our U.S. Senators and tell them they need to include these provisions in the next COVID-19 relief package. The message is simple – Do not exclude Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) from the next COVID-19 stimulus package. This increase in federally matched dollars is financially critical in Illinois. Equally important, it’s what people in Illinois with disabilities need to enhance and stabilize the service system.
Original source can be found here.
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