IVCA Provides Updates for State Legislative Issues – 09/14/22

Illinois Venture Capital Association Illinois Legislative Report
David Stricklin / Stricklin & Associates
Wednesday, September 14, 2022

CRIME CONTROL

Television ads and press conferences focused on crime and violence in Chicago are driving the campaign for Governor at this stage in the race. Republican State Senator Darren Bailey is challenging incumbent Governor JB Pritzker with charges that under the current administration (and the current Mayor of Chicago) that Chicago is on the edge of the abyss:

• ‘ABHORRENT’ AD: The ad we showed you last week of a woman being mugged is drawing widespread criticism. The TV spot was produced by a conservative super PAC that supports Republican Darren Bailey. The goal was to pin crime problems on Gov. JB Pritzker. (Politico)

 

• NBC 5 pulls Dan Proft’s ‘Scream’ ad off the air: “A number of NBC 5 viewers expressed complaints about the advertisement,” reports the station’s Charlie Wojciechowski. In a statement to Playbook, Proft, who leads the conservative PAC that produced the ad, questioned why the station is still airing the news story that shows the same video.

 

• Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey has moved into the John Hancock Center, one of Chicago’s most iconic buildings, to “immerse” himself “in the culture” of a city he’s repeatedly dubbed a “hellhole.”

 
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1117474
SAFE-T CLAIMS AND COUNTER-CLAIMS

Democrats are also pushing back against Republican assertions that legislation passed in 2021 called the SAFE-T act, intended to reform cash bail and various other court and law enforcement procedures, is instead creating an atmosphere of lawlessness. Republican leaders have argued it gives drug cartels free rein:

SAFE-T DANGER
 State Sen. Don DeWitte launches petition to repeal SAFE-T Act, via Shaw Local News Network

“Newspapers” written by political consultants to look like genuine local newspapers feature mug shots of criminals who would be out on the streets, according to critics of the legislation:

SAFE-T HYPERBOLE?
It’s a lot for voters to sort out. The legislation is complicated and stirs emotions. Here are two media outlets sorting through the claims and counter-claims:

SAFE-T ANALYSIS
SAFE-T FACT CHECK WGN
ELECTEDS TOUT TAX REBATES

Surely coincidental that some Illinois taxpayers are just now seeing cash coming back to them as part of the tax relief package the General Assembly and Governor designed during the legislative session this spring:

TAXES BACK
SITE SELECTION LAUDS ILLINOIS

High-profile departures of Citadel, Caterpillar and Boeing have hurt the reputation of Illinois as a place to do business and for some observers they are a harbinger of more to follow. On the other side of the proverbial coin, civic boosters are pointing to surveys which argue the state is doing well beneath the headlines and adding to its core positions:

• Over the past 10 years, Illinois has finished among the top five states every time. Illinois’ performance is bolstered by the fact that it is home to America’s most dominant city for economic development. On that scorecard, Chicago ranks first by a mile. No other place in the country has come close to dethroning the Windy City in any of the past 10 years.

ILLINOIS TOP FIVE
ILLINOIS FINANCES
 
Monthly report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. Snapshot of the state of the economy, relevant particularly for this purpose because legislators and policy makers in state government rely on and refer to what COGFA says. In this issue: employment data, economic indicators, “rainy day fund”, and revenue details. Always worth a quick review over a cup of coffee!

https://cgfa.ilga.gov/Upload/0822.pdf