Gas, Gambling, Games, Governor and Safeguard

By Jamey Dunn
A gas tax increase, a proposition to sell lottery tickets online and early plans for possible 2016 Chicago Olympic Games all progressed in the legislature today. So did a measure to protect youth from sex offenders who prowl on social networking Web sites.


Gasoline
A controversial measure to increase in the sales tax on gasoline, proposed by Democratic Rep. John Bradley of Marion, advanced this morning. Bradley warned that HB 1 still needed work, and he urged committee members to support the concept rather than the details as introduced.

Gambling
A bill backed by Senate President John Cullerton would allow the state to sell lottery tickets on the Internet. Sen. Don Harmon, a Democrat from Oak Park, said SB 1654 would do three things:

1. Prohibit the state from selling the Illinois Lottery to private investors.
   
2. Allow the state to hire a private firm to manage the lottery, while the state would still own it. Harmon said the idea would be to “contract with someone smarter than us to operate it.”
3. Create a pilot program to sell tickets for the Lotto and Mega Million games online.

The measure advanced out of committee today, but Harmon said it needed work before it would be ready for a final vote on the Senate floor.

Games
The Senate sent a bill to the House that is an early step towards preparing for the possibility of the 2016 Olympic Games being held in Chicago. The specifics of the bill will be worked out in the House, but sponsor Sen. Kwame Raoul, a Chicago Democrat, said it was important to get the ball rolling to meet an April deadline set by the International Olympic Committee.

Governor
Also in the Senate today, Cullerton announced that Senate Secretary Deborah Shipley (scroll down for bio) will join Gov. Pat Quinn’s staff as director of legislative operations. It’s another move that could build bridges between the executive and legislative branches, which have had frosty relationships during the past six years.

Shipley was elected secretary by Senate members in January 2007, replacing retired secretary Linda Hawker. Shipley will bring some institutional knowledge and offer guidance to Quinn’s relatively new and young legislative staff.

Safeguard against sex offenders
By Hilary Russell
The state could make it harder for individuals convicted of sex crimes to use the Internet.

Rep. Sandra Pihos, a Glen Ellyn Republican, is sponsoring HB 1314, a bill that would make using a social networking Web site a Class 4 felony for registered sex offenders. Convicted offenders must register with the state.

Earlier this year, Pihos said she read a report that nearly 100,000 sex offenders were removed from social networking Web sites in Connecticut and North Carolina, where two state attorneys general targeted sex offenders who used the Web.

“If they can remove that many sexual predators, we can do that here,” Pihos said. “Until we’re sure we have a mechanism in place that actually safeguards our children from sexual predators being on that site, I just feel that here in Illinois, we need to put some legislation in place.”

Her bill would apply a Class 4 felony or up to a three-year prison sentence if someone used social networking Web sites while registered as a sex offender. As a condition of parole, probation or release, the offender would have to agree not to use such sites as MySpace or FaceBook.

MySpace and FaceBook have more than 180 million users, and Pihos said that it’s an ideal anonymous place for sexual predators to troll for young people.

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Garrard McClendon on Obama, the Mayor, and the Olympics

McClendon had one of the harshest attacks on Obama I've seen on TV. He played Obama's video in support of Chicago's bid for the Olympics and told viewers to watch carefully for the puppet strings as Daley manipulated him. Here's McClendon's blog on the bid.

I can argue it either way although I'm not as cynical as McClendon. You don't get the full sense of it from his blog as it came over on CLTV. I think we're going to get it though and the the city will be changed hopefully for the better.

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USOC considers HQ move to Chicago

Well at least if Chicago can't have the Olypmics in the next decade Chicago can have the headquarters of the US Olympic Committee. From Crain's...

On the heels of its efforts to lure the 2016 Summer games here, the Daley administration has opened talks with the USOC about moving its headquarters here from Colorado Springs, Colo., where the committee has been based since 1978, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The USOC’s real estate consultant, James H. Didion, World Business Chicago chief Paul O’Connor and others toured about a half-dozen downtown office towers last month, seeking about 100,000 square feet of office space and about 3,000 square feet of street-level retail or showroom space, those sources say.

In 2001, Mr. Didion retired as chairman of California-based commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis Inc., where USOC Chairman Peter V. Ueberroth was a director.

The identities of the Chicago buildings on the tour could not be confirmed. Other cities on the USOC’s list also could not be confirmed. Sources say the search is in the initial stages, and probably will not be completed for several months.

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Chicago claim: Just 24 homeless living downtown

A recently concluded City of Chicago census of homeless people living downtown states that there are only 24 homeless people living in the section of the city locally known as "The Loop." Rich at Capitol Fax included this story in his "Morning Shorts."

Take it from me, that number is a little low.

The next number is too high. From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Homeless advocates maintain the actual nightly homeless population is 21,078 because of an "invisible" group that includes people "doubled-up" with relatives and friends.

If you are living somewhere--other than a shelter or in an alley--then you are not homeless. Financially secure? Definitely not. But again, not homeless.

Chicago has an excellent chance of landing the 2016 Summer Olympics, Mayor Richard Daley is clearly trying to spruce up the city's image before the International Olympic Committee selects its host city.

Chicago is just not "The Loop." Every Sunday morning I drive through the northern end of Lincoln Park. I've never counted the sleeping bodies I see camped out there, but 24 seems like a reasonable number. If I got out of my car, I'm sure I'd find more.

To comment on this post, or to read about my recent trip to Kansas, click here.

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Leadership in Illinois: Can We Impress Them for 2016?

As some in Illinois wait for a chance for our state to become both the attention and media center of the world -- which would happen if Chicago hosts the 2016 Olympic Games -- others are looking at the leadership of Illinois and wondering if we could/should trust our so-called "leaders" in years 2009, 2010, 2011, and following. And in 2016?

Oh, better include 2008 in the list. That's next year. Did I forget 2007?

Leadership in a state usually refers to political leadership. Not always, but most of the time. True, there are other significant leaders in addition to the politicians in power.

In a diverse and large state like Illinois, there is the business and financial leadership, the academic leadership, the medical leadership, even leadership in the athletic world but professional sports in Illinois seems to be at a low point right now.

But if political leadership is the typical standard, Illinois seems to be leaderless right now.

Our state legislature -- the elected Illinois General Assembly -- is unable to accomplish the tasks it is mandated to do. It has been unable to pass a state budget by the required May 31 deadline so now it requires a "super majority" of 60% of the legislators in each chamber of the General Assembly to enact a budget. As of today, they're not even close.

This is despite the fact that one party -- the Democrats this time -- are in complete control of all -- ALL -- branches of Illinois government. Every nook and cranny of Illinois government has a Democrat at the top.

This is not a slam at Illinois Democrats -- Illinois Republicans have failed when they've been in power, too -- but perhaps not as dramatically. Most elected Democrats in Illinois shake their head and nod in agreement: "This is a real mess."

Part of it -- a large part -- is because we have a governor who seems totally wrapped up in what will benefit him and his future (he's not thinking legacy yet).

Whether Rod Blagojevich has abandoned his earlier hopes to become President of the United States -- or simply put them on hold for now -- he steadfastly wants to remain in control. It might be control of a sinking ship but he wants to be at the helm.

Examples are easy to find. In addition to the failures of the General Assembly (which reflects on him as much as the legislative leadership), here's a typical example.

In a news story printed around Southern Illinois Sunday, it was revealed that Blagojevich has put a "gag order" on everyone not to talk about a proposed development in Southern Illinois "until he can announce it."

This is a report from Sunday's Bloomington Pantagraph:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration has ordered private developers not to talk about plans for a huge new resort near Pinckneyville until Blagojevich himself can announce it, sources say.

Some lawmakers who support the project say that public relations directive could be endangering the proposal.

“People have asked, ‘If these (developers) are credible, why don’t they answer the phone?’” said state Sen. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville. He is among several lawmakers who say they learned late last week of the administration’s gag order, and now are pressing to have it lifted.

This lack of respect for the General Assembly is not new. Last week, Blagojevich complained about the General Assembly's work schedule during the overtime session while news outlets reported on his lack of regular attendance in Springfield and his frequent mid-day, mid-week jogging appearances near his Chicago home.

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Unfortunately, this is the view of Illinois that the world is seeing:

a state that is in political disarray, but a state that wants to host the 2016 Olympics.

This is a state in which the leaders of ONE party -- the controlling party -- cannot agree on major state issues but the governor can find time to sign a controversial bill into law because it has the backing of his buddies at the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (HB 1798, the "grief and sorrow" bill). It may not have been signed in record time, but it was close.

And this is a state that will have a referendum in November 2008 on the question of having a Constitutional Convention, or not.

Last week, the House passed a resolution -- barely, it was 48-47 -- in favor on Illinois calling a Constitutional Convention. The issue will be on the ballot in 2008, as is required by the 1970 Constitution.

A Constitutional Convention provides a rare opportunity to Illinois citizens (not necessarily politicians) to look at the state's Constitution (ours was drafted in 1970) and decide if any fundamental changes need to be made.

Do we need to take a new look? It's been 37 years and many things have changed. School funding, gambling, electronic communications ... all are issues that might need to be viewed with a 2008 (or 2010) eye, rather than the 1970 eye that produced the current document.

I was a reporter in 1970-71 and covered the Illinois Constitutional Convention. While political pressures were certainly involved, the delegates (non-legislators) were committed to drafting (and enacting) a good document for the State of Illinois. They succeeded.

There are some fundamental issues that ought to be revisited in a new constitutional convention, issues such as the best procedure for selecting judges in Illinois. There are others.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere of cooperation and progress of 1970 doesn't exist in Illinois in 2007 -- and is unlikely in 2008 or 2010. We have a governor who may still be in office and who makes no decision that doesn't seem to be benefiting his image. We have pressures by special interest groups that didn't exist in 1970. We have communications methods that weren't even imagined in 1970.

Yet we have a need for some serious change, for some serious reform, and if it doesn't happen -- or even have a chance to happen -- some of our "leaders" need to look in the mirror.

Click here to view the resolution calling for a constitutional convention.

Cross-posted at Illinois Justice Blog.

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