Citizen Bulletin: Cochran To Plead Guilty & Other News in Politics
UChicago Democracy Initative
March 3 - 10, 2019
The Citizen Bulletin’s news highlights from this week include: Alderman Willie Cochran is scheduled to plead guilty to federal corruption charges on March 21; Governor J. B. Pritzker released the tax brackets for his new tax proposal. Vote early in the Chicago mayoral runoff election between Toni Preckwinkle and Lori Lightfoot beginning on March 15.
CHICAGO CITY GOVERNMENT
Alderman Leslie Hairston (5th Ward) ~ call your alderman! (773) 324-5555
[No News]
Alderman Willie Cochran (20th Ward) ~ call your alderman! (773) 955-5610
March 5: Scheduled to plead guilty on March 21 to 15 counts of federal corruption offenses
Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) ~ call your mayor! (312) 744-3300
March 7: Cut the ribbon the new Jewel Osco grocery store at 61st street and Cottage Grove
COOK COUNTY BOARD
President Toni Preckwinkle ~ call your Cook County board president! (312) 603-6400
[No News]
ILLINOIS STATE GOVERNMENT
Representative Curtis Tarver (D–District 25) ~ call your state rep!
[No News]
Senator Robert Peters (D–District 13) ~ call your state senator!
[No News]
Governor JB Pritzker (D–IL) ~ call your governor!
March 8: Released the new tax brackets for his proposal to replace the current 4.95 percent flat tax with a graduated income tax; his proposal would raise taxes for those earning above $250,000 to as high as 7.95 percent, increasing annual revenues by $3.4 billion
March 8: Signed a bill creating a $55 million fund for “critical access hospitals”
U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Representative Bobby Rush (D–IL1) ~ call your representative! (773) 779-2400
March 6: Introduced a bill intended to increase access to medications by prohibiting a practice that can delay generic drugs from entering consumer markets
Senator Tammy Duckworth (D–IL) ~ call your senator! (312) 886-3506
March 6: Vowed to push for reform that would improve the way that the Military handles sexual assault
March 8: Re-Introduced the Military Widow’s Tax elimination Act of 2019, which will help more the 65,000 military widows and widowers across the country access full survivor military benefits
March 8: Re-Introduced legislation aimed at overhauling the existing Child Tax Credit to support middle class families. The new bill would create a new $300 per month, per child credit for children under 6-years old and a $250 per-month, per-child credit for children under 17.
Senator Richard Durbin (D–IL) ~ call your senator! (312) 353-4952
March 5: Called on the Federal Highway Administration to release new funding for risk-based bridge repair--this funding was secured in the recently passed appropriations bill
March 6: Reintroduced the Debt-Free College Act which would give states incentives to increase their investments in public higher education
March 7: Sent a letter to President Trump, along with twenty-three other senators, calling on him to designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status--this would ensure that Venezuelan nationals in the United States would not be forced to return to Venezuela for the time being
President Donald Trump (R) ~ call your president! (202) 456-1414
March 6: Signed an executive order removing Obama-era mandates for collecting statistics on drone strikes
March 6: Signed an executive order aimed at reducing suicides among veterans
The Citizen Bulletin is a product of the University of Chicago Democracy Initiative (UCDI). UCDI is proudly supported by Andrew Goodman Foundation’s nonpartisan Vote Everywhere project. In addition to the UCDI website, you can find past versions of the bulletin here. For news closer to campus, subscribe to the twice weekly newsletter produced by our partners at the Chicago Maroon.
To learn more about the UChicago Democracy Initiative, please visit ucdemocracy.weebly.com.
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