Health & Fitness

Speaker Madigan's pension power play; Longtime Hillary aide Patti Solis Doyle now helping IL businesses

Mike Madigan puts out a pension reform proposal with some strong words of introduction, more late payments from Illinois to businesses and nonprofits, UNO falls further in trouble, fracking and more.

PENSION ACTION AT LAST They say nothing happens in Springfield unless and until House Speaker Michael Madigan wants it to happen. Well, Madigan must want comprehensive pension reform, because he introduced a bill Tuesday that was approved by the House Personnel and Pensions Committee Wednesday morning. Madigan could call his bill for a vote in the full House as soon as Thursday. What's in the bill? The basics are in this fact sheet.

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HISTORY OF OUR DISASTER The pension bill is 271 pages long, but it starts with a nine-page introduction that details how Illinois got into its $100 billion trouble and the doom that awaits if this bill is not passed (and upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court). It works up to this dramatic crescendo: "The General Assembly finds that the fiscal crisis in the State of Illinois jeopardizes the health, safety, and welfare of the people and compromises the ability to maintain a representative and orderly government." It's a great read and we've highlighted the best parts

Find out what's happening in Palatinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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FROM HILLARY TO ILLINOIS Patti Solis Doyle rose from working on Mayor Daley's campaign to Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign to running Hillary Clinton's Senate and presidential campaigns. Then she joined the Obama campaign in 2008. Now she's returning to her Illinois roots (she grew up in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood) as head of the Vendor Assistance Program, a company that helps businesses collect money owed them by state government. With Illinois billions of dollars behind in paying its bills and many businesses struggling to keep their doors open as the state makes payments months behind schedule, this is an important endeavor. Solis Doyle explains how it works in a Reboot Illinois op-ed today.

Find out what's happening in Palatinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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HOPE FOR TOMORROW, PAIN TODAY Speaking of late payment from the state, the many agencies that provide services for the developmentally disabled have been told they can expect payment for today's bills sometime in August. That news makes an interesting contrast with the hopeful tone among pension reform advocates emanating from Springfield today. Reboot Illinois Chief Operating Officer Madeleine Doubek connects these dots in a blog post today.

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CAMPAIGN 2014 When you're the only declared candidate (sort of), you make all the news. And today Chicago businessman Bruce Rauner makes news with an interview in the Peoria Journal-Star in which he voices his support for term limits and vows to serve no more than two terms if elected governor in 2014. First he'll have to end his "exploratory" phase and make his GOP candidacy official. With $1.3 million, that's a mighty well-funded exploratory campaign. Rauner's even out with the first ad of the 2014 campaign. We've got it and more on his Peoria interview today.

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DAILY TIP-OFF The Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times editorial pages both cheer House Speaker Michael Madigan's pension reform bill today. The Tribune's editorial notes that when Madigan joined his Republican counterpart Tom Cross to introduce a reform bill two years ago, teachers unions called Madigan "Dracula." 

"We've got a message for Dracula: Welcome back. You look remarkably healthy. Can we grab you a beverage?" declares the Tribune editorial board. Says the Sun-Times: "(I)t’s time to rally behind the bill that gives Illinois the best shot at true solvency. That is Madigan’s bill."

Business groups across the state are eager for Illinois to write its regulations to allow oil and gas extraction through hydraulic fracturing, and it's looking like there may be a vote soon on a bill that has support from environmental groups and most unions. Crain's Chicago Business has the story.

Last week Gov. Pat Quinn cut state funding for UNO, the Chicago charter school company that was found to have contracted with firms connected to its leadership. Now the Chicago Sun-Times reports work has stopped on a new charter school UNO was building. 

We have links to these and other Illinois news stories in the Daily Tip-Off section of our website.

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