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Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Timothy J. Cavanagh: Illinois toxic tort law would prevent out-of-state companies from evading accountability
Every Illinoisan deserves to live and work in a safe environment free from hazardous, life-threatening conditions. Yet when our residents travel to other states, they may face repeated exposure to asbestos or other highly toxic substances and be vulnerable to serious illness if they were not provided proper protective clothing and breathing equipment. Out-of-state companies too often escape accountability for exposing individuals to dangerous materials, leaving them to suffer devastating health consequences with little legal recourse short of the expensive, time-consuming and impractical option of pursuing lawsuits in those other states. A bill, SB328, recently passed by the General Assembly and now under Gov. JB Pritzker's consideration, solves that dilemma by permitting a person filing a case in an Illinois court to include out-of-state companies as defendants. By strengthening the ability of Illinois residents to seek justice against all responsible parties, this legislation would help promote healthier, safer working conditions by putting businesses, regardless of where they are headquartered, on notice that they are responsible for protecting Illinoisans from preventable harms. To be clear, this legislation applies in relatively limited circumstances. SB328 does not expose Illinois-based businesses to litigation to which they are not already subject under current law. To involve companies not located in the state, but doing business here, a plaintiff must first file a case in Illinois against at least one defendant that would be subject to the specific jurisdiction of an Illinois court. Only then, contingent upon a judge's approval, could other relevant out-of-state businesses be added to the case. Additionally, this legislation pertains only to toxic substances as defined by the Illinois Uniform Hazardous Substances Act. One such example familiar to most people would be asbestos, because of its sad and long history in our country of sickening hundreds of thousands of people and condemning them to prolonged and painful deaths. If you've seen the suffering caused by the careless use of asbestos up close, you would understand why it is important to send a strong message that companies using toxic substances need to take sufficient care to protect people from being harmed by them. And, if they fail to do so, they deserve significant financial punishment to deter them and others from persisting in unsafe practices. The fearmongering from Illinois business organizations about the bill borders on hysteria. Despite what they say, prescription drugs, baby formula, beverages and food products are not a part of the bill for the simple reason they aren't made with highly toxic ingredients. Opponents also say New York rejected the same bill. Not true. New York's was far more expansive and, beyond businesses, included nonprofits and governmental entities. Finally, those against the bill argue it would make Illinois an outlier. But, in reality, other states have laws that say anyone transacting business in them consents to the jurisdiction of their courts. Pennsylvania already has a far broader toxic tort law than what is proposed in Illinois, and I have yet to see any news coverage about the cessation of business in the Steel City, the City of Brotherly Love or all the many towns between the two. Opposition from Illinois corporate associations to this legislation is puzzling, since it actually levels the playing field for Illinois companies by holding those from out of state to the same standard as applies to those that are based here. The bill's merits are attested to by the diversity of its supporters, which include dozens of trade and service unions represented by the Illinois AFL-CIO; the multitude of local and national environmental organizations that work collaboratively through the Illinois Environmental Council; and Citizen Action, the state's largest public interest organization that advocates for policies to protect the health and well-being of all Illinoisans. By reinforcing corporate accountability, this bill complements Illinois' ongoing efforts to strengthen environmental protections and public health safeguards. It sends a clear message and commonsense message: Companies that profit from doing business here must accept the responsibility of protecting the people and environment they impact. With the Donald Trump administration choosing to stop enforcing various environmental protections and, shockingly, reconsidering the ban on cancer-causing asbestos put in place by the previous administration, it is vital that states step into the breach. Pritzker's signature on SB328 will send a clear message that Illinois is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to protecting the public's health. Timothy J. Cavanagh is founder of Cavanagh Sorich Law Group in Chicago and president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.
Chicago Tribune
16-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Waukegan loses another firm to Wisconsin
While Gov. JB Pritzker was trying to answer inane questions from congressional Republicans last week, officials in Wisconsin were finalizing a deal to bring a top-notch Waukegan manufacturer to the Badger State. The impending move of Yaskawa America was but one in a series of recent bad jobs news for Illinois. Pritzker was among three Democratic governors summoned before the GOP-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform to defend the state's sanctuary laws for undocumented immigrants. He sparred with committee members, including Illinoisan Republicans Darrin Hood of Dunlap, a suburb of Peoria, and Mary Miller of Oakland, near Charleston, home of Eastern Illinois University. The governor could have used the wasted time — he was asked if he had ever used a woman's bathroom (he didn't think so) or if he supports the terrorist Hamas organization in Gaza (Pritzker is Jewish) during long hours of political theater — to be back home and work to save more than 2,100 Illinois jobs. That's the number that will be disappearing from the Land of Lincoln even before the announcement from Yaskawa that it will be pulling up stakes and moving to Franklin, Wisconsin, southwest of Milwaukee. According to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, 14 companies across the state, from Libertyville to Naperville to Momence in Kankakee County, will be furloughing workers. In Libertyville, 133 employees at two Bristol Myers Squibb sites in Innovation Park, off Route 45, south of Winchester Road, will be out of work beginning July 1. The pharmaceutical firm announced the layoffs early last month. Cardinal Logistics Management Corp., a North Carolina-based transportation and warehousing company, has gotten rid of 43 employees in Naperville Momence Packing Co., which makes Johnsonville sausage products, is scheduled to lay off 274 workers beginning Aug. 1. The aging facility's operations will move to other plants in Wisconsin and Kansas. Those are substantial job losses, but it is the Yaskawa move that hurts the most. Once again, Illinois has lost a major company to nearby Wisconsin, one which has been in Waukegan on Norman Drive, off Route 43, just north of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, since 1998. This is occurring while Wisconsin tourism, mainly supported by Illinoisans, for the third year in a row, set new records in total economic impact, number of visitors, and state and local revenue in 2024. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism says America's Dairyland brought in $25.8 billion from tourism last year. Yaskawa America won't be a tourist. Company officials said late last week the firm plans to invest at least $180 million and create more than 700 new high-paying jobs in Wisconsin. The company manufactures industrial robots, motion control devices, low- and medium-voltage alternating current drives, and solar inverters for numerous industries, including the semiconductor, machine tool, automotive, HVAC, pumping, oil and gas. The firm will consolidate its North American headquarters and training facility from Waukegan into one location in Franklin over the next eight to 10 years. The 800,000-square-foot campus in Franklin will include the Yaskawa America headquarters, training and lab building, as well as manufacturing and packaging facilities. 'We take pride in our cutting-edge technology, our commitment to quality, and our world-class manufacturing, and we look forward to a strong future of growth and innovation in Franklin,' Mike Knapek, chief executive officer of Yaskawa America, said in a statement announcing the move. The company's parent, Yaskawa Electric Corp., based in the northern Japanese city of Kitakyushu, is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year. The corporation has more than 15,000 employees worldwide with 81 subsidiaries and 24 affiliate companies. It has been operating in the U.S. since 1967. 'I am really excited to be celebrating Yaskawa's decision to relocate its headquarters to Wisconsin and expand its footprint here in the Badger State, bringing with them millions of dollars in capital investment in Southeastern Wisconsin and hundreds of high-quality, family-supporting jobs,' Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers crowed in announcing the firm's move out of Waukegan. Evers said the state has authorized up to $18 million in tax credits contingent upon the number of jobs created and the amount of capital investment during the relocation period. 'Companies from across the globe are choosing Wisconsin to grow and expand because they know we have the best workers making the best products,' Evers added, dismissing Illinois workers, noting Wisconsin is strengthening its 'position as a leader in advanced manufacturing'. Yaskawa joins the roster of Illinois firms which continue to find the grass is greener north of the border. Pritzker and Illinois economic development officials have yet to find a battle plan to counter the corporate exodus. They just seem to wave goodbye as more jobs walk away.
Chicago Tribune
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Pope Leo XIV honor caught in legislative gridlock
As the Illinois General Assembly was speeding to adjourn late last month, a Lake County lawmaker had spiritual leanings overtake his temporal duties. He introduced a bill to honor the first American pope, Leo XIV. State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Lake Barrington, filed his legislation to recognize native Chicagoan Pope Leo XIV as leader of the Roman Catholic faith. Normally a numbers guy — McLaughlin's a small businessman and financial expert, specializing in pension management — his proposal drew bipartisan support in Springfield, picking up a co-sponsor in fellow Lake Countian, state Rep. Daniel Didech, D-Buffalo Grove. Yet, the measure was promptly shuffled into the House Rules Committee, where it could be buried to perdition. One would think lawmakers would have wanted to move quickly on such an accolade with an Illinoisan named the Bishop of Rome. Legislators did manage to rapidly adopt a 3,000-page, $55 billion budget bill, which McLaughlin voted against, hours before rushing to adjournment. Perhaps the Pope Leo measure will be dealt with later this summer or year, as the legislature is due back to consider a number of unmet goals, including funding regional mass transit. Or members of the Democratic-controlled committee will anoint one of their own as sponsor of the bill. I can't believe a legislator from a Chicago or southern Cook County district wouldn't want to claim the first U.S. pope for his or her own and scrap McLaughlin's measure. It's happened before in the hallowed halls of Springfield's legislative temple. The elevation of an American cardinal to pontiff after some 2,000 years of the Holy See is an unprecedented event in Illinois and world history. It shouldn't be overlooked in his birth state. McLaughlin's bill takes that into consideration, and the Republican was way ahead of the curve by introducing his bill. Pope Leo, 69, is so popular that tickets to a celebration and Mass of his elevation at Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, and set for 4 p.m. Saturday, is sold out. The White Sox wish they could get that many fans into seats at the South Side ballpark. Several reports noted tickets for the event, originally costing $10, were being resold for upwards of $1,200. Additionally, the village of Dolton wants to take the childhood home of the former Robert Francis Prevost through eminent domain, aka condemnation. Village officials want to work with the Chicago Archdiocese to turn his eminence's old residence into a historic site. McLaughlin's measure amending House Bill 2083 proposes establishing a commemorative area and statue on the state Capitol grounds for the new pope, who was elected May 8 in Rome by the College of Cardinals. It seeks to honor, 'his legacy in a lasting and visible way,' the bill spells out. Importantly, no taxpayer funds would be used under the proposal. The legislation sets up a commission with the intention of receiving donations, while other costs would be covered through the sale of a new specialty Illinois license plate. If the state can offer vehicle tags for Chicago professional sports teams, Illinois certainly can have a Pope Leo XIV plate. Design of the specialty plate would be left to the Secretary of State's Office and could be purchased for $27, with $12 of that going toward the Pope Leo XIV Commemoration Fund, according to the bill. 'This is not a religious monument,' McLaughlin, a former Lake Barrington village president, asserted in a statement. 'It's about acknowledging a truly historic moment. It's a global story with Illinois at the heart.' The proposal directs the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, in collaboration with the state's interfaith community, to come up with the design and fabrication of the Pope statue, 'within a reasonable period of time.' Other historical and Illinois-centric statues adorn various parts of the Capitol grounds in Springfield and its vicinity. It's pretty straightforward stuff, which is why McLaughlin, too, wonders why the bill didn't move rapidly through the General Assembly to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk for signing. He's been representing the House 52nd District since first being elected in 2020. He noted lawmakers have adopted symbolic resolutions on hundreds of picayune issues over the years. 'Surely, we can agree that elevating an Illinoisan to the highest position in global religious leadership warrants acknowledgement,' he added. 'This pope's message of tolerance and global cooperation deserves recognition, not gridlock.' I'm not sure what the legislative holdup is, but Catholics across the region might want to prod their Springfield lawmakers to endorse recognizing the first American pope after 266 previous pontiffs. Such an epic event doesn't come along every papal conclave.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill creating Office of State Public Defender heads to Pritzker's desk
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A bill helping the state's public defenders with a new office in the Judicial Branch is headed to the governor's desk. Public defenders are government appointed lawyers for people accused of criminal charges who cannot afford legal representation. The new independent office would create rules to establish public defenders' appointments, powers and pay. A commission would also be formed to help with operational costs and funding. WATCH: Public Defenders take another crack at creating statewide office County offices would also mimic those new roles. Supporters of the bill said that would be among the most substantial reforms to the state's public defender system since 1949. 'Every Illinoisan deserves a strong defense, no matter their income,' said State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago). 'Instating this new system would ensure real help reaches people who have been left behind in conversations about criminal justice reform for far too long.' In the current system, judges can hire and fire chief public defenders. The American Bar Association discourages that system as it calls for public defenders to be independent. 'For years, our local public defenders have been doing more with less – handling impossible caseloads and fighting uphill battles,' Peters said. 'This bill gives public defenders the tools to do the job right and truly stand up for their client.' The bill passed the Senate Saturday and now heads to Pritzker's desk. The full text of the bill can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pritzker issues executive order in response to federal effort to create autism database
Illinois' governor signed an executive order that restricts state agencies from collecting and sharing autism-related data, in response to federal efforts to create a database for autism research. Gov. JB Pritzker's order aims to protect individuals from unauthorized data collection and 'ensures that autism-related information is handled only when necessary and with informed consent," according to a news release his office on May 7. 'Every Illinoisan deserves dignity, privacy, and the freedom to live without fear of surveillance or discrimination," Pritzker stated. "As Donald Trump and DOGE threaten these freedoms, we are taking steps to ensure that our state remains a leader in protecting the rights of individuals with autism and all people with disabilities.' Here's how some groups in Illinois are responding to the order and more about what it will do. Groups that work with and support people with autism have expressed support for the measure. Hope, based in Springfield, offers a range of services and programs for people with autism and other developmental disabilities. 'At Hope, and through our leadership of The Autism Program of Illinois (TAP), we strongly support Governor Pritzker's executive order safeguarding the rights and privacy of individuals with autism," said Chief Communications and Development Officer Jody Ogilvy in an email to The State Journal-Register. "This action reflects a deep understanding of the concerns raised by families, self-advocates, and service providers across the state," the statement read. More: 'It just seems so unfair:' Illinois families brace for possible Medicaid cuts Hope in its more than 65 years of operation has built a culture 'rooted in dignity, consent, and person-centered care. We do not and will not share personal health information without explicit consent, and we believe that individuals should never be reduced to data points or surveilled simply because of their diagnosis,' the statement added. Several other groups in the state have expressed support for the order such as the Southern Illinois Autism Society, Access Living, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Chicagoland Autism Connection, and The Arc of Illinois. The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have partnered to research causes of the autism spectrum disorder. The agencies are creating a database of autism-diagnosed Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, according to a Reuters report. Those agencies are within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, of which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is Secretary. The partnership of those agencies will help NIH build a real-world data platform enabling research across claims data, electronic medical records, and wearable health-monitoring devices, Reuters added. "We're pulling back the curtain, with full transparency and accountability, to deliver the honest answers families have waited far too long to hear," Kennedy said in a statement. The agencies said the project will comply with applicable privacy laws. Researchers will focus on autism diagnosis over time, health outcomes from medical and behavioral interventions, access to care and disparities by demographics and geography as well as the economic burden on families and healthcare systems. More: Illinois' head of tourism was quietly fired 3 months ago. Here's why "All agencies under the Governor's control (which includes any agency, department, office, officer, division, bureau, board, or commission in the executive branch of state government under the Governor's jurisdiction) shall work to ensure they are not collecting, or using data scraping technology to gather, autism-related data," the order writes, unless that collection fully complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the MHDDCA. To be collected, the data must also be "strictly necessary" for multiple reasons listed. Additionally, the order says that no state agency will disclose personally identifiable information that is maintained by a state agency to any entity outside the State of Illinois government, unless: The individual or legal guardian provides informed, written consent for a specific use It's required by court order or subpoena from a court of competent jurisdiction It's required to provide educational, medical, employment, housing, or other essential services and supports to an autistic individual It's required to comply with established Illinois or federal law "All disclosures must be limited to the minimum amount of information necessary to meet the legal requirement, and should be anonymized where allowed and practicable," the order says. Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@ This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Pritzker issues executive order restricting autism data collection
