SJR: Lawmaker seeks background checks for ridesharing drivers
A Democratic state lawmaker says background checks for drivers and wheelchair accessibility for passengers are among the provisions he wants included in new legislation calling for regulations of the ridesharing industry.
State Rep. Mike Zalewski announced a so-called “framework” of new ridesharing legislation Thursday. He says taxi and ridesharing companies have agreed to work on with him.
The Riverside legislator had originally planned to call for an override of Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto on bills imposing regulations on some drivers in the industry that connects passengers with drivers using personal vehicles to give rides.
SJR: Rauner mum on fixes for ‘dire’ state finances, wants Quinn to freeze hiring
Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner on Thursday called the state’s budget situation “dire” but did not outline immediate actions he would take to fix it.
During his first visit to the Capitol since defeating Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, the Republican from Winnetka also called on the departing governor to impose a hiring freeze during his final weeks in office. Rauner will be sworn in Jan. 12.
At a news conference at the Capitol, Rauner didn’t mince words about the financial shape of the state he’s about to lead.
Fox Chicago: CTA approves 2015 budget with no fare increases
There are no fare increases in the budget that the Chicago Transit Authority board has approved for next year.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that projections for the next two years after that don’t include fare increases either. The board unanimously approved the budget on Wednesday.
The balanced budget totals about $1.44 billion. It doesn’t include service cuts and does have a slight increase in rush-hour train service on the Blue and Orange lines. There previously were increases on the Red, Purple and Brown lines.
Crain's: New park district budget freezes taxes but hikes fees
The Chicago Park District has rolled out a proposed 2015 budget that, as city elections near, keeps the politically sensitive property tax the same but includes fee hikes.
The $448.6 million plan also includes the first installment of anew deal to refinance the district’s cash-strapped pension plan..
Overall, spending is up $23 million, or about 5 percent, from last year. The bulk of that, $19.3 million, is due to increased and supplemental pension contributions, which are being matched by workers in the form of reduced benefits.
Crain's: Chicago's wealth and education soar as population dips
Chicago is a lot smaller than it used to be, relative to the rest of the metropolitan area. But it is increasingly richer, more educated and better-positioned to compete in a changing economy than the suburbs, despite great disparity from neighborhood to neighborhood.
That’s the gist of a fascinating new post from two economists: Bill Testa at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and William Sander at DePaul University. The post provides grist and, more important, a factual basis for debate in the upcoming elections for mayor and alderman.
The post starts with a look at population, in which the city’s share of the metropolitan area total has dropped steadily in recent decades but shows recent signs of stabilizing at about 29 percent.
The New York Times: Judge Rejects Overhaul of Illinois’s Beleaguered State Pension System
An Illinois judge on Friday rejected the state’s effort to bolster its shaky public pension system, giving public workers a reason to rejoice that could prove short-lived.
Judge John W. Belz of the Sangamon County Circuit Court in Springfield found that the pension overhaul enacted in December 2013, which reduced some benefits, violated a clause in the State Constitution that makes pensions “an enforceable contractual relationship” that cannot be impaired.
The state’s attorney general, Lisa Madigan, said she would appeal the decision to the State Supreme Court.
USA Today: Four words that could deep-six Obamacare
The most serious challenge to President Obama’s health care law since it survived the Supreme Court by a single vote in 2012 isn’t a balky website, public opinion or the Republican takeover of Congress. It’s the Supreme Court — again.
In a case likely to be heard in March and decided in June, the justices will dissect the meaning of four words on page 95 of the 906-page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — four words that could render health insurance premiums unaffordable for millions of Americans.
Here’s a look at the issues in King v. Burwell:
Chicago Sun Times: Time for all-new plan on pensions
Forget pension reform Plan B.
It’s time for a new Plan A.
The state’s pension cost-cutting law, which was first rendered legally suspect this summer, suffered a major blow on Friday when a state judge ruled it unconstitutional.