The Tap: Monday, May 30, 2016

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #19 of The Tap, which was published on June 4, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• During a Memorial Day speech from Arlington National Cemetery, President Barack Obama honored America’s fallen military heroes and their families, calling them “the best of us.” Obama said, “The Americans who rest here, and their families -- the best of us, those from whom we asked everything -- ask of us today only one thing in return: that we remember them. … Those who rest beneath this silence -- not only here at Arlington, but at veterans’ cemeteries across our country and around the world, and all who still remain missing -- they didn’t speak the loudest about their patriotism. They let their actions do that. Whether they stood up in times of war, signed up in times of peace, or were called up by a draft board, they embodied the best of America.”
  • According to CNN, “Nearly 10,000 U.S. service members are stationed in Afghanistan, and the U.S. will maintain a presence there into 2017.” In addition, there are “more than 4,000 American troops in Iraq and Syria participating in the anti-ISIS effort in many of the same cities and towns where American lives were lost in the Iraq War.”

State

• After Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a police fire and pension bill, the Illinois State Legislature voted to override the veto. The bill, a point of contention between the governor and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, will give short-term relief to the city’s pension fund payments by allowing Chicago to spread out previously mandated higher payments to police and fire pension systems. Rauner objected to this bill because it does not address pension funding in the long term and would cost citizens $18.6 billion “over time.” Proponents of the bill insisted that failing to pass the bill would have resulted in a $300 million property tax increase for Chicago citizens.
• The Alaska House of Representatives approved a bill to send $55 million to health insurance plans in the state’s individual market that covers high-risk individuals. Alaska has just one insurance company serving its entire individual market; three other companies have left the market since 2013, as the state has continued to reject large requested premium increases. The rate increases that have been approved have been in the range of 35 percent each year. The intent of the bill is to discourage the remaining insurer, Premera, from raising its rates in 2017 or leaving the market entirely. Funding for the measure would come from a fee assessed on most insurance policies in the state, including those outside of the healthcare industry, such as auto and life insurance. The bill heads to the state Senate next for consideration.

Local

• The Illinois General Assembly overrode a veto by Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) on a bill to modify Chicago’s payment schedule for its police and fire pensions. Rauner vetoed the bill because it did not address pension funding in the long term and would cost $18.6 billion “over time.” The bill’s advocates claimed that passing the bill would prevent a $300 million property tax increase for city residents. While the plan offers savings for the city in the short term, the bill is expected to create greater long-term costs as the pension system’s debt continues to grow. In March 2015, Chicago’s $20 billion in pension debts was the main impetus for Moody’s downgrade of the city’s bond rating. At that time, Chicago had the lowest bond rating of any of America’s largest 10 cities by population. Chicago is the largest city in Illinois and the third-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Preview of the day

There were no items for this day in issue #18 of The Tap, which was published on March 28, 2016. See the "Review of the day" tab for more information.