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* Politico…
Has this been happening? State Sen. Robert Peters advanced legislation out of the Senate on Thursday to ban employers from requiring workers to attend meetings regarding political or religious matters.
Yep. Here’s an AFL-CIO press release from February…
The Illinois AFL-CIO today laid out an agenda to build on the Illinois labor movement’s recent successes like the Workers’ Rights Amendment, the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act and Paid Leave for All. Among the organization’s legislative priorities is a push to protect all workers from unwanted religious and political speech in the workplace. Known as captive audience meetings, these mandatory meetings subject employees to the religious or political views of the employer during work hours. When employees decline to participate, they often face retaliation or firing. […]
Captive audience meetings are the employer-preferred method of union busting. An Economic Policy Institute analysis of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections documents shows that 89% of all employers conduct captive audience meetings in response to unionization efforts. […]
Often an employer threatens, disciplines, or terminates an employee for objecting to the boss’s political views. Anti-captive audience legislation guarantees workers’ freedoms and ensures that all workers can fully exercise their rights in the workplace.
The bill is SB3649.
* HB793 was re-referred to the House Rules Committee on May 1. WAND…
Illinois workers with developmental and intellectual disabilities have been paid much less than the minimum wage since 1938, but state lawmakers could pass a plan to phase out the sub-minimum wage this month.
Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago) and many other lawmakers believe it is wrong that some people are paid as low as 50 cents per hour and make only $100 per month.
A new amendment to House Bill 793 would create a special grant fund of $2 million to help community agencies transition away from the sub-minimum wages. Mah told reporters in Springfield Thursday that the funding is already available in the Department of Human Services budget. […]
House Bill 793 includes a provision stating community group home residents should receive a personal allowance of at least $100 per month. The proposal also calls for the personal needs allowance to increase annually at the same rate as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment taking effect at the start of each year.
Just two days after Dave & Buster’s announced a new plan to allow loyalty members to digitally compete in real-money arcade contests at its locations throughout the country, an Illinois Representative has introduced legislation to block “family-friendly arcades” from knowingly advertising and facilitating wagering on amusement games at its premises.
Rep. Daniel Didech (D-59) today introduced HB 5832 to the House of Representatives, where it was referred to the rules committee.
An official press release announcing the introduction of the bill said the legislation is in response to Dave & Buster’s potential plan to allow loyalty members to compete against other customers for real money on such games as skee-ball or pop-a-shot through its app. The national restaurant and entertainment business announced this week a new partnership with Lucra Sports to use its proprietary software to allow these types of contests on the Dave & Buster’s app. […]
The bill will prohibit family-amusement establishments from facilitating wagering on amusement games, which includes, but is not limited to, “taking any action that knowingly allows any entity to facilitate gambling on amusement games on the family amusement establishment’s premises.” Additionally, establishments will be prohibited from engaging in advertising that promotes wagering on amusement games.
* WGIL…
Saying the penalties are too lenient in Illinois, some Republican lawmakers want to increase the consequences for fleeing the police. […]
Senate Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, said anyone fleeing police in Florida is charged with a Class 3 felony and a $5,000 fine. Curran’s legislation in Senate Bill 1807 would increase the penalty in Illinois to a Class 4 felony. […]
A Class 4 felony conviction in Illinois would result in one to three years prison time. The measure allows for stricter penalties for aggravating factors and charges a person with a Class 3 felony which could come with five years behind bars. […]
The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police support the legislation.
SB1807 has not moved out of committee.
A bill that would put more controls on certain kinds of high-cost loans to small businesses cleared the Illinois Senate Thursday.
Senate Bill 2234, known as the Small Business Financial Transparency Act, targets a relatively new kind of nontraditional lender in the credit market, online app-based financial service companies sometimes known as “fintechs.”
Sen. Chris Belt, D-Swansea, the lead sponsor of the bill, said it is based on the federal Truth in Lending Act of 1968, which governs consumer loans. It requires nontraditional lenders to calculate and express the cost of the loan in terms of a standard annual percentage rate, or APR, even if the lender bases the loan around some other type of fee structure.
“There has never, ever been anything like the Truth in Lending Act on the commercial side,” Belt said on the Senate floor. “And so what this legislation looks to do is mimic the Truth in Lending Act on the commercial side. It ensures small businesses receive consistent and transparent disclosures on the cost of small business financing.”
* WCIA…
A bill moving in the state capitol aims to lower students’ stress by encouraging school districts to have at least 20 minutes of instruction on relaxation activities each week. Suggested activities in the bill include mindful-based movements, yoga, stretching, meditation, breathing exercises, guided relaxation techniques, quiet time, walking and in-person conversation. […]
The bill allows the school district to choose how to implement the relaxation activities, including in a P.E. class, an advisory class, or creating a new class. School districts may partner with a public or private community organization for help providing the relaxation activities to students. […]
The bill passed the House of Representatives’ Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee on Wednesday. The proposal has already passed the Illinois Senate.
Republicans have voted against the proposal.
* Sen. Steve Stadelman…
In an effort to protect vulnerable utility customers, State Senator Steve Stadelman has introduced legislation that would establish a Disconnection Protection Program.
“Ensuring that our residents have continuous access to basic utilities like electricity and gas is not just a matter of comfort, but of public health and safety,” said Stadelman (D-Rockford). “This measure would prevent families from having to choose between paying for utilities and other essential needs like food and medicine, especially during times of financial difficulty.”
Low-income households that seek energy payment assistance do not currently have any protections from being disconnected by electric and gas utilities.
This legislation would mandate electric and gas utilities serving more than 500,000 customers to implement measures to prevent the disconnection of services for customers actively seeking energy payment assistance.
“This bill is a step forward in our ongoing efforts to support vulnerable populations and ensure that our energy policies are fair and just,” said Stadelman.
House Bill 4118 passed the Energy and Public Utilities Committee on Thursday, and heads to the House for further consideration.
* Illinois Bankers Association…
The Illinois Bankers Association (IBA) issued the following statement following House approval of HB5428, which eliminates red tape to ensure the state’s network of community banks continue to thrive while modernizing language in banking documents.
Changes include updating the term “disabled person” to “person with a disability” throughout the Illinois Banking Act to reduce stigma by putting an individual’s personhood first rather than defining them by their disabilities. The legislation also modernizes longstanding discrimination protections for loans by expanding the scope to all single “individuals,” rather than only “single females.” In addition, the measure allows banks to follow federal requirements for hiring individuals with criminal backgrounds, which would allow those with misdemeanor or years-old offenses to qualify for jobs in the banking industry.
“We applaud lawmakers, and especially our sponsor Rep. Dagmara Avelar, for passing legislation that updates the phrasing and scope of the Illinois Banking Act to foster inclusivity and fairness. All individuals should feel recognized and respected by the institutions that serve them, including financial institutions,” said Ben Jackson, Executive Vice President of Government Relations, Illinois Bankers Association. “These changes remedy some historical biases, not only making Illinois banking laws more relevant and respectful but also strengthening the legal framework to be more just and equitable.”
* [From Rich Miller] Background is here if you need it. The fallout from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s decision to not bother to challenge the release of an accused domestic abuser who then went on to kill his spouse and himself continues. And it’s getting ludicrous. From the Daily Herald…
State Sen. John Curran of Downers Grove, minority leader for the Republicans, said at a news conference Wednesday he intends to submit a bill this week that would change the state’s cashless-bail law in regards to domestic battery charges.
The law currently says that every defendant is entitled to a presumption of release, and that prosecutors have to prove why measures such as electronic monitoring are not sufficient to ensure the safety of a specific person or the public.
Curran proposes that for misdemeanor domestic battery cases involving an injury, the burden of proof be shifted to the defendant. They would be detained automatically unless they could convince a judge they are not a threat.
“We need to flip that presumption,” Curran said. “The next tragedy that occurs, we are going to wish we had.”
I probably shouldn’t be so stunned that local news media outlets are just running with all the official deflection and obfuscation surrounding this case without even the slightest bit of push-back.
But here we are.
You’re gonna flip the presumption of innocence in some misdemeanor cases and not felonies? What the heck?
Seems like a gross overreaction.
Ever read People v. Purcell? The burden of proof falls squarely on the state.
You know what would be better? If state’s attorneys actually did their jobs. As the above article also notes, DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin has finally decided to stop the finger-pointing and instead actually revamp his operation to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.
posted by Isabel Miller
Friday, May 3, 24 @ 10:11 am
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Really disappointed in the Herald for just taking what politicians say as gospel. GOOGLE IS FREE!
Comment by Lakeview Looker Friday, May 3, 24 @ 10:34 am
How is a defendant supposed to prove they aren’t a threat? Proving a negative is one of those classic philosophy problems specifically because it is nearly impossible. I can’t imagine the Supreme Court allowing that from due process standpoints.
Comment by Homebody Friday, May 3, 24 @ 10:37 am
=Has this been happening?=
I would like to see actual examples rather than a statement from the AFL-CIO, not that I don’t take them at their word (I don’t) I also would not be surprised to learn that it is happening, but examples would be nice.
=A bill moving in the state capitol aims to lower students’ stress by encouraging school districts to have at least 20 minutes of instruction on relaxation activities each week.=
I hate siding with the ILGOP these days but this is one of the most time wasting useless bills for schools this year. And the bar for that keeps getting lower.
If you want to help kids with anxiety outlaw smartphones and social media for kids under 16. There is a mountain of legitimate research to support such and effort. They can use a flip phone if they need one (they don’t).
Full disclosure, I failed my children when they were kids and gave them iPhones, I just didn’t realize at the time what I was putting in their hands and what effect it would have on them.
Without smartphones in their possession, students perform better academically and, more importantly, are experience much better mental health. The data since 2010 is startling.
A Google search will open your eyes.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7012622/
Comment by JS Mill Friday, May 3, 24 @ 10:47 am
“Has this been happening?”
Only since the dawn of labor activity in the workplace.
Why am I not surprised that this aspect of American history and ongoing reality is completely opaque to Politico reporters.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:06 am
When the SAFE-T Act went into effect, I just assumed prosecutors would ask for pretrial detention in every domestic battery case. It was the one and only part of the law that strengthen their hand in court. And by asking for detention, the state’s attorney could CYA — the judge would “wear the jacket” if the suspect was released and committed a new offense.
You can bet prosecutors in DuPage will reflexively request detention from now on in DV cases.
Comment by TNR Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:08 am
The Daily Herald doesn’t tend to dig beneath the surface. They print the quotes they are given. So DuPage Democrats are the ones who need to step up and start publicly challenging Berlin.
Comment by Protocol Droid Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:13 am
== media outlets are just running with all the official deflection and obfuscation surrounding this case without even the slightest bit of push-back. ==
Back in the day, the Daily Herald, Southtown, and the downtown papers had beat reporters covering almost every bond court call in the city and suburbs. If they still did, there would be plenty of reporters who understood how these detention hearings work and Berlin would have a much harder time trying to b.s. his way out of this.
Comment by Roman Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:15 am
Republican: I disagree with the values of that business. I just won’t go there.
Democrat: I disagree with the values of that business. Ban it.
Comment by Trap Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:25 am
Trap, now do abortion clinics and cannabis shops.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:27 am
=Republican: I disagree with the values of that business. I just won’t go there.=
Disney would like a word with you.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:30 am
Daily Herald:
I have little positive to say about how Berlin’s office has handled domestic violence cases to date and nothing positive to say about Berlin’s personal dishonestly in the aftermath of this tragedy, but if his office is now going to base its pre-trial detention requests on the facts of the individual case rather than the categorical charge, that’s a good thing.
And it’s something that Berlin could have done at any time, SAFE-T Act or no.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:39 am
“I would like to see actual examples rather than a statement from the AFL-CIO”
There’s a 33 page article linked above that was not written by the AFL CIO. Are you looking for private sector employers to explain how they do labor suppression? There are plenty of law firms that do nothing else but they don’t describe how it works on the internet.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:52 am
=== Republican: I disagree with the values of that business. I just won’t go there. ===
Would Republicans give free rein to every business regardless of values? Casinos for children, heroin kiosks at the mall, Murder Incorporated? Heck, ComEd’s lobbying shop was just a business with some controversial values.
Or, maybe, you haven’t accurately described the Republican position on banning businesses. One indication you’re wrong is that a chief co-sponsor of the bill is… a Republican.
Comment by vern Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:55 am
Many workers can’t refuse to attend management meetings. If the meeting is for thwarting unionization efforts, that’s not in the employee job description.
Comment by Grandson of Man Friday, May 3, 24 @ 11:59 am
Captive audience meetings are prevalent enough for John Oliver to do a good segment on them a couple of years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk8dUXRpoy8
Comment by Matty Friday, May 3, 24 @ 12:09 pm
As a lawyer, Curran should be embarrassed to be trotting out nonsensical and blatantly unconstitutional legislation in an effort to rescue his pal Bob Berlin from the consequences of his own decisions.
Comment by charles in charge Friday, May 3, 24 @ 12:24 pm
=Are you looking for private sector employers to explain how they do labor suppression? =
Yeah, that’s what it is. Somebody needs a nap.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, May 3, 24 @ 12:30 pm
JS Mill is on a roll. I adopt his comments by reference.
Comment by Norseman Friday, May 3, 24 @ 12:38 pm
Yesterday it was Northwestern students are Hamas. Today it’s “prove labor suppression is real.”
Got our finger right on the pulse here.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Friday, May 3, 24 @ 12:50 pm
==You know what would be better? If state’s attorneys actually did their jobs.==
So many penalty enhancement bills are based on prosecutors and police who fail to do their jobs under current laws and fail to take crime seriously, yet somehow the public, and thus legislators, have convinced themselves that law enforcement is a sacred cow without any need for even the most minimal reform, let alone a radical rethinking. They’ll never do their jobs because they know they will never seriously be held accountable.
Comment by Google Is Your Friend Friday, May 3, 24 @ 1:01 pm
Matty, thanks for the video link.
Seems like the next step would be to pass legislation allowing for arbitration to settle a first contract if the employer attempts to drag out the negotiations. I seem to recall reading about frustrations amongst organized Starbucks employees because the union hadn’t yet been able to deliver a first contract.
Comment by North Sider, CTA Rider Friday, May 3, 24 @ 1:04 pm
if it were not so sorry supervision of an office I would sit back and laugh at Bob Berlin, alum of old boyzz & girlzzz network in the CCSAO
Comment by Amalia Friday, May 3, 24 @ 1:10 pm
The state is really one big political machine controlled by one party. What the public or GOP thinks is irrelevant. As long as they don’t touch the pension s and peeps don’t ever get fired the state will survive tho Uncle Sam may not provide funding fir a balanced budget but heck what’s another fee or tax increase going to do. Cause one to move?
Comment by Hank Sauer Friday, May 3, 24 @ 1:53 pm
- and peeps don’t ever get fired the state will survive tho Uncle Sam may not provide funding fir a balanced budget but heck what’s another fee or tax increase going to do. Cause one to move? -
Maybe wait to start drinking until at least late afternoon.
Comment by Excitable Boy Friday, May 3, 24 @ 2:08 pm
=Got our finger right on the pulse here.=
I get it, it’s 5:00pm somewhere right?
NU students ARE on the wrong side of history, but that isn’t what this thread is about.
I didn’t know labor was so sensitive that I couldn’t ask questions and get some other verification. Especially when it comes to prevalence. The report, and I did not read the entire thing said 89% of employers facing possible unionization hold captive audience meetings. That seems like an issue but also what percentage of employers, and more importantly, what percentage of Illinois employers do this. The report was also co-authored by an organization interested in expanding unions. That does not mean they are wrong, but they definitely approach it with a goal in mind.
If you can’t handle that, then that is a you problem. I am not and have never been anti-union. When I was a teacher I was in the union. But when unions get their dander up because someone dares to ask a genuine questions or wants to hear from a less biased source, it doesn’t make it easier for them. And it does not make me a union buster. So lighten up or don’t, either way I don’t care.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, May 3, 24 @ 2:51 pm