Citizen Bulletin: Historic Consent Decree Passed & Other News in Chicago Politics
The Citizen Bulletin’s news highlights from this week include: Mayor Rahm Emanuel obtained approval from a federal judge for Chicago’s consent decree; Governor JB Pritzker declared a state of emergency due to the historic cold snap; and President Trump suspended the INF treaty with Russia that had been in place since 1987.
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
[No News*]
Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) ~ call your mayor! (312) 744-3300
Jan 30 -- Used emergency powers to force landlords to repair broken heating systems amidst record-low temperatures
Feb 1 -- Obtained approval from a federal judge for Chicago’s consent decree, which brings reform to the Chicago Police Department ; an independent monitor will be appointed to ensure it is implemented smoothly
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!
Jan 29 -- Declared a state of emergency as temperatures fell to record lows mid-week
Jan 31 -- Appointed new leaders for two state agencies whose purview includes the Quincy veterans home
Jan 31 -- Filled 5 vacant positions on the University of Illinois board with his appointees
Feb 1 -- Signed an executive order emphasizing state Health Department HIV prevention efforts
Feb 2 -- Announced that, in addition to raising the minimum wage, balancing the budget will be a top priority; this may be difficult to achieve without significant changes given Pritzker’s spending commitments
US Federal Government
Representative Bobby Rush (D–IL1) ~ call your representative! (773) 779-2400
Feb 1 -- Endorsed Bill Daley for mayor
Senator Tammy Duckworth (D–IL) ~ call your senator! (312) 886-3506
Jan 28 -- Joined 29 other Senators in a bipartisan letter urging the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to provide federal employees with back pay as soon as possible
Jan 29 -- Introduced, along with Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), the EPA Special Hiring Authority Transparency Act which would increase transparency in EPA hiring and salary raises
Jan 31 -- Voted with the majority of the senate to advance legislation that expresses disapproval of President Trump’s decision to remove military forces from Syria and Afghanistan
Senator Richard Durbin (D–IL) ~ call your senator! (312) 353-4952
Jan 31 -- Introduced legislation to increase storage security requirements for federally-licensed gun dealers
Feb 1 -- Penned an article in USA Today extolling the promise of Venezuela’s opposition government
Feb 1 -- Introduced legislation attempting to disincentivize prescription drug price spikes
President Donald Trump (R) ~ call your president! (202) 456-1414
Jan 31 -- Signed an executive order to strengthen “Buy American” requirements on infrastructure projects
Feb 2 -- Suspended the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty amidst a diplomatic stand-off with Russia; the INF treaty has prohibited nuclear-tipped cruise missiles on the European continent since 1987
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.
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