Progress Illinois

While guest hosting for MSNBC's Ed Schultz yesterday, Chris Hayes discussed immigration reform with Illinois' own Rep. Luis Gutierrez.  The Chicago congressman reiterated that he could get 200 Democratic votes for comprehensive immigration reform if he could get another 18 Republicans to sign on.  Watch it:

While it's unclear exactly which government programs are on the chopping block as this 2010 fiscal years come to a close tomorrow, SEIU Healthcare fears that Illinois' Home Services Program could be in the crosshairs. That program connects disabled residents with home care workers who assist them with tasks like cooking and bathing. According to the union, which represents 85,000 members in the region, the FY 2011 spending plan would cap on the maximum number of subsidized hours and restrict eligibility for patients. Although protected by a consent decree, the Community Care Program could also be trimmed because of shrinking revenues.

At a rally outside Chicago's Thompson Center this afternoon, Flora Johnson -- an SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana member whose 43-year-old son relies on home care disability services -- said that lawmakers' willingness to cut deeper into the state's human service infrastructure is "heart-wrenching and life-threatening." During the action, SEIU members and other advocates blocked traffic in the busy intersection next to the government building. Watch it (and check back tomorrow for more details on the impending cuts):

Full disclosure: The SEIU Illinois State Council sponsors this website.

The Raise Your Hand Coalition (RYH) was happy to stand behind Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman at a press conference yesterday as he announced that he would only have to raise the maximum high school class size from 32 to 33 students (rather than 35, as had been threatened).

But Catalyst's Sarah Karp reports that the group of CPS parents were "put off" when Huberman used the occasion to pressure the Chicago Teachers Union to forgo a scheduled pay increase. "We wanted to highlight this as good news," RYH organizer Jonathan Goldman told us this morning, referring to the class size announcement. "But it's just one piece of the puzzle."

While they're not wading into the issue of teacher raises, RYH argues that another piece of the budget puzzle should involve amending the tax increment financing (TIF) statue to exempt CPS tax revenue from being diverted into Mayor Daley's shadow budget. The parents have a meeting scheduled with Huberman in mid-July to discuss that proposal as well as other potential budget fixes. "We're going to go in and lay out our thoughts and concerns and see what they have to say," Goldman says. Still, any significant changes will hinge on Daley himself. And one month after they hand-delivered a letter requesting a meeting on the subject, the coalition is yet to get a response from his office. "We don't expect Huberman to come out publicly on TIF and buck the mayor," Goldman says. "[Daley's] the political leader of the city -- he has to step forward on these issues."

Who will ensure Walmart holds up its end of last week's tenuous agreement that apparently cleared the way for a second Chicago store? Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. (21st Ward), an ardent supporter of Walmart's proposed Chicago expansion, says that the City Council will be on the case. "They need to live up to what they agreed to," he said during an appearance on WLS' NewsViews broadcast yesterday. " And if they don't, then all of us [aldermen] -- and I think all 50 of us -- will step in and try to do something to resolve those issues." Watch it (full video available here):

The full council is expected to vote on the Pullman development project this Wednesday and, when they do, the public deserves to hear aldermen's specific plans for holding the retailer accountable. After all, the deal is not legally-binding, Walmart isn't acknowledging that they made any wage concessions, and the mega-retailer has historically been very secretive about its wage data in the past.