Springfield Doesn’t Want You to Pay Attention Right Now—Smoke-Filled Room—Episode 82

After talking about the elections for months, this week’s Smoke-Filled Room gets into important policy and issues.

Springfield doesn’t want you to watch this episode. They want you to take a break, relax, and ignore politics for a while, so they can pass bills during veto session and lame duck while you aren’t looking.

Helping us shine a spotlight on everything being discussed in Springfield is former State Representative and President of EOSullivan Consulting Ed Sullivan, policy expert Sharon Langlotz-Johnson, Cor’s grassroots government affairs expert Rich Carter, along with Cor’s political experts Chris Jackowiak and Michael Butler, and host Collin Corbett.

We begin with the pressure Democrats are under, as the split between moderates and progressives widens. With a massive budget deficit looming and Democrats looking for taxes to hike, it’s going to be interesting how they come to any sort of consensus. Plus, lawmakers are feeling the heat from public sector unions who are looking to enhance pension benefits, on top of the many other groups looking for more state money.

Then, Ed and Rich give in-depth updates on key issues that are under the radar. Ed gives an update on gun legislation including Karina’s Law, safe storage, and the assault weapon ban, before Rich shares what’s going on with environmentalist’s efforts to stop carbon sequestration, how the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act” is actually a speech ban, and the potential return of forum shopping to Illinois courts.

In the back half of the episode, we discuss the immigration battle between Pritzker and Trump, opposition rising against Brandon Johnson’s property tax hike and police budget cuts, and if Dick Durbin has the fight in him to take on Trump’s judicial picks. 

00:00: Introductions
03:33: Split Widening Between Moderates and Progressives in Illinois Democratic Party
10:17: Facing Massive Budget Deficit, Democrats Look for Taxes to Hike While Republicans Push Back
19:19: Public Sector Unions Pressuring Lawmakers to Enhance Pension Benefits
28:06: Gun Control Advocates Pushing Hard in Springfield
40:06: Environmentalists Continue to Try to Stop Carbon Sequestration
45:21: Lawsuit Filed Against Employer Speech Ban "Worker Freedom of Speech Act" 
50:55: Kwame Raoul and Trial Lawyers Trying to Bring Forum Shopping Back to Illinois Courts
57:26: Pritzker and Trump's Border Czar Already at War
01:05:44: Far-Left Climate Group Claims Suburbanites OK with Chicago Transit System Takeover
01:09:37: Opposition Rising Against Brandon Johnson's Property Tax Hike and Cuts to Police Budget
01:16:28: John Curran and Tony McCombie to Continue as Minority Leaders
01:18:10: Senate Democrats Upping Pressure on Dick Durbin to Either Fight Trump or Retire
01:22:43: OG & Clown of the Week
01:31:00: Closing Thoughts