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2018年4月26日 星期四

After pop tax backlash, Preckwinkle predicts no new county taxes next year

Catch up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.

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April 26, 2018

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Last year's pop tax backlash has eroded the current Cook County Board's enthusiasm for tax increases, with President Toni Preckwinkle predicting no new "revenue" in next year's budget.

"I don't anticipate revenue" when proposing a 2019 budget later this year, she said Wednesday. "There were no votes for revenue last year. I don't think there are going to be any votes for it this year."

Preckwinkle's initial budget proposal last year relied on more than $200 million from a penny-an-ounce tax on sweetened beverages approved in late 2016, when she broke a rare tie vote.

But the backlash fueled by a multimillion-dollar anti-pop tax campaign that was funded by the beverage industry led to its repeal, as well as the layoffs of hundreds of employees to make the county books balance in 2018.

Nearly half of those job cuts haven't occurred, after Chief Circuit Court Judge Timothy Evans won a court order to prevent the county from immediately forcing him to dismiss employees. No final order has been entered in that case, and Preckwinkle said Wednesday that there have been negotiations to settle it.

The county story on taxes could change in the 2020 budget year, given that five of 17 board seats are expected to change hands after the November general election. The two most outspoken Democratic opponents of the pop tax lost their primary races. Two other board members didn't run, and a fifth won the Democratic nomination for a congressional seat. (Hal Dardick)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will fully launch a municipal ID program. He unveiled the cards late last year

*Gov. Bruce Rauner will hold a morning news conference about his trade mission to Europe.

*Democratic governor candidate J.B. Pritzker will start a three-day trip with stops in Rockford, East Moline, Galesburg and Peoria.

*The Illinois House and Senate are in session.

From the notebook

*Inmates could get sex offender charge in jail: Inmates who repeatedly expose themselves while in custody would have to register as sex offenders under a plan that is moving in Springfield.

The measure was proposed by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who oversees the County Jail where indecent and lewd behavior by detainees has become a significant problem. Since the start of last year, there have been more than 620 incidents of indecent exposure and lewd conduct by jail detainees, according to a news release from Dart's office.

The Illinois Senate advanced the bill Wednesday, less than six months after female assistant public defenders filed a lawsuit alleging authorities have not done enough to stop male detainees from exposing themselves, masturbating and threatening the attorneys in courtroom lockups and the county jail. A judge later ordered further precautions be taken to prevent such behavior.

The bill would require that jail detainees and prison inmates register as sex offenders upon their second conviction for indecent exposure in a penal institution. (Hal Dardick)

*Foxx fundraising: State's Attorney Kim Foxx sent a fundraising pitch to supporters hoping to capitalize on a recent trip to D.C. to receive an award.

Last week, she was given the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award from EMILY's List, the national political committee that backs Democratic women for office.

"I know my own journey was made possible by the support and mentorship of other women who gave me the audacity to dream big dreams," Foxx said in a Wednesday fundraising email.

What we're writing

*Democrats drop bid to overturn Rauner veto of gun shop licensing bill.

*Emanuel will turn over personal cellphone for review in battle over texts. 

*Chicago police overlooking tool to remove guns from those posing threat, city watchdog report finds

*Illinois Senate votes to raise minimum age to buy cigarettes, vaping devices to 21. 

*New proposed timeline wants hospitals to train nurses in sexual assault care even sooner. 

*Crosby case sparked changes at DCFS.

*Snow day means summer has to wait a bit for Chicago Public Schools students. 

What we're reading

*The Thompson Center and state fairgrounds on list of endangered historic places in Illinois.

*Loyola and Porter Moser reach agreement on multiyear contract extension.

*The women in Chicago telling jokes, and laughing too.

Follow the money

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago

*Macron speaks to Congress.

*Giuliani meets with Mueller about Trump interview.

*SCOTUS hears travel ban arguments.

*Trump retweets Kanye

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