Latest news with #RafaelAnchia
Politico
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Texas hold'em in Illinois
Good Tuesday morning, Illinois. Election season begins today with the start of petition gathering. TOP TALKER TEXAS TWO-STEP: Lone-Star Democrats are holed up in the Q Center, a high-security hotel and convention complex in St. Charles, operating under a strategy of both defiance and visibility. The Texas statehouse Democrats left their state en masse to block the Republican-controlled legislature from passing a redrawn congressional map they believe would disenfranchise voters, particularly people of color. Monday afternoon, they huddled in a hotel auditorium to watch the Texas House gavel in and then gavel out because they lacked a quorum — at least 100 members of the 150-seat chamber. Mission accomplished. But for how long? 'See my bags here. I'm prepared to be here for as long as it takes to make sure that we stop the redistricting this session, and we're going to feel our way through additional special sessions, if they're called by the governor,' state Rep. Rafael Anchia told your Playbook host before heading to his hotel Sunday. The Texans plan on staying in Illinois until Aug. 19, when the state's special legislative session is up. The question is whether Gov. Greg Abbott will call another special session. It could bring the Democrats back to Illinois for another 30 days. Fines and potential civil arrest warrants loom, though the Texas Dems we talked believe if they stick together they'll accomplish their goal of preventing a vote on GOP gerrymandered maps. 'Come and Take It,' Gene Wu, the state's House Democratic Caucus chair, told CNN, echoing a Texas rallying cry. Party leaders are in close communication with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to a person close to the group. Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin will join the Texas legislators at a rally in Aurora today. And the group is lining up as many people and reporters to talk to as they can to ensure their message stays at the forefront of national attention. Illinois Democrats are helping with that. Gov. JB Pritzker traveled to Boston on Monday for the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting, where he discussed redistricting in a private luncheon meeting and made time for the Texas Democrats who were in attendance. They will head to Illinois on Wednesday. A few other Texas Democrats were in New York to confer with Kathy Hochul, who said she intends to follow President Donald Trump's blueprint for aggressive partisan redistricting. Pritzker and California Gavin Newsom have also hinted at making remap moves. In other words, two can play at this game. In the western suburb of Warrenville, Illinois U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi hosted a Monday evening press conference with members of the Texas congressional delegation and the renegade Texas House Democrats. Kelly and Krishnamoorthi put aside their differences — they're running against one another in a Senate primary next year — to join the Texas group (though they stood on different sides of the podium). The Texas state Democrats then headed to dinner with members of Congress. Help from high places: An anonymous group of democracy advocates flew a plane over the Springfield Capitol on Monday with a banner that said 'mess with Texas.' Banners will also be flown over the blue state capitols of Albany, N.Y.; Annapolis, Md.; Augusta, Maine; Trenton, N.J.; and Sacramento, Calif., according to a spokesperson. Pic! SIDE NOTE Mayor Brandon Johnson said he 'fully supports' Gov. JB Pritzker's efforts to assist Texas Democrats trying to prevent 'MAGA Republicans from gerrymandering away Black and brown congressional districts,' according to a statement to Playbook. The mayor has called for Democrats from across the country to 'stand up in this moment to Trump's rising authoritarianism and Governor Pritzker is demonstrating real leadership by doing just that.' Johnson issued the statement to clarify a comment at a press event Monday where the mayor said 'the South Side and the West Side could use that same level of energy' that Pritzker has shown on the redistricting fight. Johnson told Playbook he simply hopes Illinois state lawmakers would 'show the same type of urgency around funding our public school system as they do around national issues,' especially in light of a new report showing Chicago Public Schools is $1.6 billion underfunded. RELATED Texas Democrats hold the line from hotel rooms as Abbott promises arrests, by POLITICO's Adam Wren, Shia Kapos, Andrew Howard and Liz Crampton On their first full day in Illinois, Texas Dems urge blue states to consider redrawing their own congressional maps, by the Tribune's Rick Pearson, Jeremy Gorner and Olivia Olander Abbott's options to force a redistricting vote are more limited than they appear, by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney Schwarzenegger ready to fight Newsom on redistricting, by POLITICO's Will McCarthy DuPage Democratic Party Chair Reid McCollum pledges to protect Texan lawmakers, by the Daily Herald's Russell Lissau THE BUZZ Chicago immigration judges fired by Trump White House call for transparency about their terminations: 'Jennifer Peyton and Carla Espinoza are among a group of dozens of judges who have been terminated without explanation since President Trump took office in January,' by the Sun-Times' Tina Sfondeles. If you are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@ WHERE'S JB In Aurora for a rally with Texas Democrats WHERE's BRANDON In City Hall at 12:30 p.m. for his regular media availability Where's Toni At the Cook County Health Professional Building at noon to announce the Chicago Abortion Fund recipient Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a (gasp!) complaint? Email skapos@ BUSINESS OF POLITICS — WATCH for Congressman Jesús 'Chuy' García (IL-04) to launch his reelection campaign alongside a coalition of elected officials at the Pulaski Orange Line CTA Station today. They'll be collecting signatures on Day 1 of the 2026 election season. — Holly Kim, the Lake County treasurer, has officially launched her campaign for Illinois State comptroller. 'Susana Mendoza, the current comptroller, has done an amazing job paying down the bill backing with the nine credit upgrades, and she is graciously not running for reelection. It matters who picks up that baton and runs with it,' Kim said in announcing her candidacy. Here's her launch video — Top Illinois GOP donors are sitting out the upcoming primary: 'The party's internal divisions and lack of clear leadership have eroded confidence among those who traditionally fuel campaigns, leaving Republicans severely outmatched in both resources and organization,' the conservative Illinois Review reports. — In the Senate race: Juliana Stratton's political campaign is beefing up staff: Loren Harris is political director after serving as state director for Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Allison Janowski is communications director. She was comms director at C-Strategies and worked on the Harris-Walz campaign. Justin Rodriguez is deputy field director after working as digital organizing director for the Maryland Democratic Party and before that on get-out-the-vote efforts in Wisconsin. And Prince Winbush III is political coordinator after also working for Wisconsin Democrats and on the Harris-Walz campaign. — The money game: The LevelUp PAC that supports Juliana Stratton's U.S. Senate bid raised $398,166, according to the latest Federal Election Commission filings. After deductions, the PAC has $203,451 cash on hand. — State Sen. Darby Hills, a Republican from Barrington Hills, is running for election to the 26th District seat she's held since earlier this year. She was appointed to the seat after state Sen. Dan McConchie stepped down to head a nonprofit. 'Families are being stretched to the limit, and it's not OK,' Hills said in a statement. 'I went to Springfield to fight for real solutions because, for me, this is personal.' She'll face Democratic State Rep. Nabeela Syed in the must-watch race. — Also in the state Senate: Arlington Heights trustee Carina Santa Maria is running for the seat held by Mark Walker, by the Daily Herald's Christopher Placek — Paul Kendrick, who's running for 12th district state rep seat now held by Margaret Croke, has raised more than $50,00 from more than 100 donors, according to his team. — Commissioner Josina Morita is running for a second term for Cook County Board's 13th District. She's endorsed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Morita is also running for 9th Congressional District State Central Committeeperson and is endorsed by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and 10 ward and township committeepersons and county chairs, according to her team. Morita won't be running for reelection for Niles Township Democratic committeeperson. THE STATEWIDES — State Rep. Curtis Tarver sees 'little appetite' for reinstating the School Finance Authority for funding and reforming Chicago Public Schools. After holding a hearing on the issue, Tarver issued a statement, saying, 'I understand there is little appetite, including myself, for a full takeover of CPS. Instead, we must work together on a realistic, collaborative path forward that pairs new investment with clear, student-centered reforms.' Here's his full comment. — Aquifer protection, Chicago pension boost among more than 100 new laws: 'Lawmakers sent more than 400 bills to governor's desk during the spring session,' via Capitol News Illinois. CHICAGO — Pritzker's signature on police pension bill adds pressure for state bailout and city property tax hike: 'The bill will cost the city $60 million more in 2027, and by 2055, city pension payments will be $750 million higher than they are now. It adds one more big pressure point onto Mayor Brandon Johnson, who already has said he won't raise property taxes,' by the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman and Mitchell Armentrout. — Police use of force is declining, according to U. of I. study, by WBEZ's Michael Puente Reader Digest We asked if you could keep one App on your phone, what would it be. Brian Berg: 'The SiriusXM app because life would be unimaginable without access to Bruce Springsteen's E Street radio and Hall of Famer Tom Hamilton covering the Cleveland Guardians' baseball games.' Chelsea Blink: 'Puzzazz. It's a crossword puzzle solving platform, kind of like NYT Games, but it lets you download puzzles from indie publishers to solve on your phone.' Christopher Deutsch: 'I'm on Twitter Spaces a lot, so probably Twitter. I don't care what they say it's called now…it'll always be the Sears Tower.' Kay Hatcher: 'I'm directionally challenged. Mapping apps have made me fearless.' Kirsten Heindl: 'Libby! Gotta have my books.' Charles Keller: 'Google Maps since I'll have to find my way to B&M stores without the Amazon app.' Izzy King: 'YouTube - from deep dives to tutorials, I probably use the app every single day.' Kevin Lampe: 'Grammarly fixes all typos. (This sentence was fixed.)' Silas Leslie: 'Gmail (unfortunately).' Jim Lyons: 'Apple Music.' Emma Todd: 'MiniVAN (the canvassing app). You have to be ready to pound the pavement for petition signatures.' NEXT QUESTION: Where's the best place in Illinois for Texas barbecue? THE NATIONAL TAKE — Trump and Schumer couldn't clinch a deal. Now a shutdown hangs in the balance, by POLITICO's Jordain Carney — After BLS firing, Trump leaves clean-up job to successor, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton and Nick Niedzwiadek — CBO: Republican megabill to cost $4.1T, due to higher borrowing costs, by POLITICO's Jennifer Scholtes TRANSITIONS — Noah Barger is joining the Information Technology Industry Council as a director of government affairs. Barger has worked for Congressman Mike Bost (R-Ill.) since 2017, and also served as a senior adviser to the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, which Bost chairs. Barger previously worked for former Congressman Bob Dold (R-Ill.). — Doug Rees has been named chief deputy attorney general of the Attorney General's Office. He replaces Brent Stratton, who is retiring after 20 years of service. Rees, who's been with the office since 2014, most recently was deputy attorney general over civil litigation. Cara Hendrickson is now executive deputy attorney general. She has been assistant chief deputy. EVENTS — Thursday: The Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance is holding its summer soirée, a Chicago-area real-estate networking event. Details here TRIVIA MONDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Nadine O'Leary for correctly answering that Sufjan Stevens wrote and sang a song about serial killer John Wayne Gacy on his 2005 double-album titled 'Come On! Feel the Illinoise!' TODAY's QUESTION: What Steven Soderbergh movie was filmed at the Illini Country Club in Springfield? Email to: skapos@ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jeanne Wrenn, former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride (now a partner with Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres), Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres Senior Government Relations Director and former mayoral aide Maria Virginia Martinez, state Rep. Matt Hanson's Chief of Staff Mario Keane, MacArthur Foundation Program Officer Mariam Pera, Tipsy Cake founder Naomi Levine, journalist Jim O'Shea, comms consultant Stephan Benzkofer and Kinship marketing firm founder Chip Bouchard Vassil -30-
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Texas medical examiner expansion bill misses midnight House approval, but interim proposal could revive it
This story is part of KXAN's 'A Hanging on Backbone Creek' Catalyst investigation, launched November 18, 2024. As Texas' population grows, critics point to the need for more medical examiners in death investigations, instead of the state relying so heavily on its current process in most counties, where an elected justice of the peace — already assigned many court-related duties — also has the power to determine cause and manner of death with scant training and often without autopsies or forensic expertise. During our reporting, Texas lawmakers resumed efforts to modernize that antiquated system, as a nearly-forgotten mystery resurfaced with a fresh review of a young girl's strangulation case. AUSTIN (KXAN) – A proposal aimed at establishing more medical examiner offices sooner in Texas died amid a flurry of bills considered on the House floor late Tuesday night, though the lawmaker who carried Senate Bill 1370 in the lower chamber plans to keep the topic alive ahead of the next legislative session in 2027. 'I think we should have an interim charge to look at this issue to bring more medical examiners to the state,' Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, told KXAN earlier this month. Anchia also filed an identical House companion to SB 1370, which did not progress this session. The idea for the interim charge came after Anchia fielded questions during a House subcommittee hearing about the availability of physicians with forensic science training who could fill the state's need for medical examiners. Experts have said there is a shortage of such doctors actively practicing, with the National Association of Medical Examiners recently telling KXAN the number was around 750 nationwide. Explore 'A Hanging on Backbone Creek,' the project that sparked SB 1370 'We just need more people who are specialized in this work, and creating an incentive program makes total sense,' Anchia said. Texas has 254 counties. Medical examiner offices are used in 14 of them to investigate and certify the cause and manner of unexpected deaths, and conduct autopsies. The state has one medical examiner district based around Tarrant County. The remaining counties use elected justices of the peace to investigate and certify deaths, and determine if a body may need to be sent for an autopsy — usually through a contract with another another county or private entity. Justices of the peace are elected, hold numerous other court-related duties and have no required prerequisite medical or death investigation experience. KXAN has reported extensively on challenges with the justice of the peace death investigation system. Medical examiner office advocates have argued these government offices – led by appointed medical doctors – provide a higher level of expertise and public service. Currently, counties are only statutorily required to have medical examiner offices when their population hits 2.5 million. SB 1370 aimed to decrease the benchmark to 1 million. This map shows which Texas counties have medical examiners and which rely on justices of the peace for death investigations. Source: Various Texas Counties/Arezow Doost (KXAN Interactive/David Barer) There are three Texas counties – Hays, Hidalgo and Williamson – that do not currently have medical examiner offices but are projected to have populations over 1 million by 2060, according to the Texas Demographic Center. Williamson County is already making preparations to build a medical examiner office before hitting the 1 million population level. Trio of bills aim to strengthen Texas death investigations The measure also would have clarified that counties can implement a medical examiner office before reaching 1 million people. Additionally, counties that share borders can pool resources to form a medical examiner district. 'By expanding the pool of counties required or able to create an office or a district, S.B. 1370 aims to strengthen investigative capacity statewide, enhance public health and safety, and improve the consistency and reliability of death investigations,' the bill's author, Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, said in its statement of intent. KXAN reached out to Parker's office for comment following the bill stalling in the House but has not received a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
