Unpaid State Employee Health Care Bills Mount in Illinois; L.A. Police Worry About Trump Order
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Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: S.C. may outlaw exotic animals; water agency in Ky. coal country under investigation; and Texas petrochemical plant plan irks farmers.
STATE BUDGET | Illinois owes at least $370 million in interest on unpaid bills for state employee health care, according to a bipartisan budget-forecasting group. Unpaid bills in the state are expected to hit $15 billion by July if nothing is done to resolve a budget stalemate. “From a taxpayer standpoint and from any kind of reasonably good government standpoint, you would not plan to incur penalties for failing to pay known bills every year,” said Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation. “Illinois has become addicted to a bad habit.” [Chicago Tribune]
IMMIGRATION | Police officers and sheriff’s deputies across Los Angeles are expressing concern over executive orders from President Trump that call to empower law enforcement officials to take on immigration enforcement duties. Many worried that the order would stoke fear of the police among immigrant communities, further complicating the job of police officer dependent on local cooperation and trust. And, many officers simply said they had enough on their plates already, without adding federal immigrations issues to their list responsibilities. In addition, many of the officers interviewed believed their bosses would disregard the directive, despite threats over federal funding. [Los Angeles Times]
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker put out a statement regarding President Trump’s recent immigration and refugee executive order. The Republican lawmaker made clear that “Massachusetts is a global community” and the executive order puts that status “at risk.” He went on to say “focusing on countries' predominant religions will not make the country safer.” Baker also acknowledged the “confusion” and “disruption” for “families” and “law abiding people,” and said he looked to the courts to resolve the matter quickly. The statement did not, however, state whether he believed the commonwealth would be a party to any cases regarding the executive order, or any other actions he may take to oppose or denounce the order moving forward. [Mass.gov]
PETS | South Carolinians would be barred from keeping exotic animals, such as lions and chimpanzees, as pets under a bill moving through the state legislature. “It’s public safety,’’ state Rep. Davey Hiott, a Republican, said. “If one of these things gets out and mauls somebody, the outcry in this state will be ‘Why didn’t somebody know it was there? And why didn’t somebody do something?’ I think of this as sort of being proactive.’’ [The State]
IDENTIFICATION | California state lawmakers from San Francisco and San Diego are pushing a bill that would create a new gender marker for state-issued identification documents. “Our trans brothers and sisters are under attack in far too many parts of this country and this world,” state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Now, more than ever, California must lead on trans inclusion and ensure that our entire community can live with dignity and respect. This legislation is an overdue step forward.” [San Francisco Examiner]
WATER | For the third time since 2002, Martin County, Kentucky’s water system is under state investigation for leaking more of the resource than it delivers to customers. Service disruptions, discolored water and cancer fears are common complaints in the coal county, where local infrastructure hasn’t benefitted from industry. [WFPL]
TRANSPORTATION | Construction of the Macon County Beltway east of Decatur, Illinois, has been decades in the planning, and local officials are in the process of securing the funding for the proposed 6.2 miles of four-lane road between Illinois 48 near Interstate 72 and Illinois 105. At least $6 million in state grants is locked up for the project, which is expected to be a jobs creator. [Herald & Review]
ENVIRONMENT | Exxon Mobil Corp. and Saudi Basic Industries Corp.’s plans to build a $10 billion petrochemical plant in Portland, Texas, have met resistance from local farmers worried about the noise, pollution and health effects. Construction promises thousands of construction jobs, hundreds of permanent positions and millions in tax revenues. [Houston Chronicle; The Associated Press via Bristol Herald Courier]
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