The Capitol Fax Blog

• Reader comments closed for the Thanksgiving break November 22, 2022
  * I have so very much to be thankful for this year. Isabel is proving to be even better than I’d hoped. My family is doing well. My life is on a good track. My friends are a joy. My subscribers, readers and commenters continue to be outstanding. If [...]
• You may get a chance to meet these three new House Speakers next year November 22, 2022
  * Michigan… History will be made in Lansing after Democratic State Rep. Joe Tate was selected as the first Black speaker of the house. […] FOX 2: “I was just going to ask you, when you hear: Joe Tate - first Black Speaker of the Michigan House. What kind of title does that mean to you?” Tate: Standing [...]
• Afternoon roundup November 22, 2022
  * Tribune… The Illinois Supreme Court, in an unsigned order Monday, rejected a request by the DuPage County clerk to lift a local judge’s ruling directing the clerk on how she should verify the authenticity of late-arriving mailed-in ballots. The ruling comes as Tuesday marks the final day ballots sent on or before Election Day on Nov. [...]
• Question of the day November 22, 2022
  * WGLT… State Sen. Jason Barickman said Illinois voters punished Republicans in the midterm election, in part, because of the GOP stance on abortion. He said his party needs to acknowledge there are instances in which abortion should be legal and be willing to say what those legal conditions are. “That type of a statement, I think, [...]
• It’s just a union questionnaire… so far November 22, 2022
  * Greg Hinz at Crain’s… Is Chicago ready for a $25-an-hour minimum wage? SEIU, the big union that’s expected to play a major role in this winter’s city elections, is asking candidates seeking its endorsement to take a position on that subject, and the group appears quite serious about that and other strongly pro-labor positions it’s pushing [...]
• Oscar is 10 today November 22, 2022
  * Ten years ago today, a puppy was born into this world… Notice the union logo. * He’s always been such a cute little guy… * Oscar has also been a very happy puppy his entire life. It’s like having a cartoon character around the house… * This video was featured on the Orvis website because [...]
• It’s time for the US Attorney’s office to step back in November 22, 2022
  * The Americans with Disabilities Act took effect in 1990 - 32 years ago. From April 20, 2017… The United States Attorney’s Office today announced a settlement with the Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago to ensure accessibility of polling sites to persons with disabilities. The agreement requires the Board of Elections to [...]
• Welch optimistic, but won’t definitively say an assault weapons ban will be approved in January November 22, 2022
  * Tribune earlier this month… One of the challenges facing lawmakers in the upcoming session is that any measure that passes requires a three-fifths majority in both chambers if it is to take immediate effect. While Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers, rounding up enough votes on controversial matters to clear that hurdle isn’t always a [...]
• The elephant in the room November 22, 2022
  * House Speaker Chris Welch was interviewed by Capitol News Illinois… When asked whether gerrymandering played a role in those results, Welch said it did not. “What I would say is that the maps reflect the diversity of our state,” he said. “And one of the things that I said as the leader of our caucus [...]
• Open thread November 22, 2022
  * Thanksgiving plans?