FRIDAY
Augus t 15 , 2015 • $ 1.00
STICKING TOGETHER
NORTHWEST
HERALD
Teammates look to reform bonds after summer alone on green / C1 NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
HIGH
LOW
87 67 Complete forecast on page A8
Facebook.com/NWHerald
@NWHerald
Law: No new local bodies
NEW GUN RULE COULD IMPACT SOME SENIORS ON SOCIAL SECURITY
Bans Ill. officials from creating new levels of gov’t for 4 years By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
Illustration by Scott Helmchen – shelmchen@shawmedia.com
DISARMING SENIORS?
Those with ‘representative payee’ to be included in gun check database By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com A background check system meant to prevent gun sales to felons, drug addicts and others soon also be could used to bar sales to any Social Security recipient who has someone else manage their finances. The Obama administration is pushing for the Social Security Administration to add its database to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is meant to bar gun sales to individuals who are legally forbidden from owning them. Similar to a guideline used for veterans receiving benefits, the system will flag any Social Security recipient from buying a firearm if he or she has a “representative payee” handling their monthly payments. About 4.2 million Social Security recipients have such an arrangement, according to records. Supporters of the idea said it is a small but welcome measure that will help prevent the mentally unstable from acquiring firearms.
But opponents, not only on the gunrights side of the debate but also on the mental health side, argue, among other things, the inability of a senior citizen or disabled individual to manage their money or other affairs does not automatically make them dangerous to themselves or others. The measure, while in the early stage of implementation, is not a new one. An executive order signed by President Barack Obama in 2013, as part of an effort to strengthen gun control in the wake of the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, required federal agencies to make data available to NICS. What’s more, the Department of Veterans Affairs has participated in sending its data to the NICS since it became operational in 1998. But among the criteria that can get a veteran flagged as a “mental defective” is merely having a fiduciary to help manage his or her affairs – similar to the criterion the Social Security Administration may establish.
The background check system, created in 1993 under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, queries crime databases whenever someone seeks to buy a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer. More than 208 million checks have been conducted from 1998 through spring 2015. While federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are required to submit names to the database, many states have fallen short of providing all records necessary, especially for mental health adjudications and involuntary commitment orders. While few would argue that mental health issues such as dementia or other disorders are reasonable reasons to bar individuals from owning guns, critics have alleged automatically flagging people because they don’t manage their finances violates their constitutional rights by denying them due process. Twenty-five U.S. senators earlier this week joined Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in an open letter to Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner Carolyn
See GUNS, page A6
A new law signed by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner will ban state lawmakers for the next four years from approving any legislation creating a new level of local government. House Bill 228, filed by Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, forbids the General Assembly from enacting any bill that either creates a new type of local governm e n t o r Bruce allows an Rauner existing government to split into two. Franks said it is a small but Rep. Jack important Franks s t e p i n D-Marengo reining in out-of-control property taxes and improving accountability to voters. He estimated at least 50 to 60 bills have been filed in recent years to create new local governments. “We needed to stop letting people keep digging the hole. That’s the first step. We’re going to take a timeout,” Franks said. The new law forbids lawmakers from creating a new class of local government or allowing a specific entity to be formed, but it does not forbid the creation of new governments by consoli-
What it means House Bill 228, now signed into law, forbids the General Assembly from passing any law creating a new form of local government for the next four years. You can read the text of the law at www.ilga.gov. dating two or more existing ones. Because it applies only to the General Assembly, it does not forbid voters from creating a new taxing body by referendum, provided its existence is allowed under existing law. Illinois has more than 6,900 units of government, which is by far the most of any state – it has 2,000 more than the first runner-up of Pennsylvania. Besides county boards, city councils and school boards, they include a long list of esoteric bodies such as cemetery, mosquito-abatement, water authority and street-lighting districts, school districts consisting of one school, and townships that are mostly or completely covered by municipalities. Critics, which include Rauner, allege the sheer number of taxing bodies is a significant reason why Illinois property taxes are so high – a 2013 report by a Washington, D.C., think tank puts the Land of Lincoln’s tax burden second only to New Jersey’s.
See GOV’T, page A6
Lakewood trustee joins 4-way race to replace Mike Tryon By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com Lakewood Village Trustee Paul Serwatka announced his candidacy for the 66th Illinois House District, making the March Republican primary a four-way race. Serwatka, who very publicly has been mulling a run, made it official Thursday evening with an announcement on social media, a You-
Tube video and a radio ad buy on conservative talk radio station AM 560 The Answer. He joins McHenry County Board member Carolyn Schofield, West Dundee Village Trustee Dan Wilbrandt and East Dundee Village Trustee Allen Skillicorn in the race to replace state Rep. Mike Tryon of Crystal Lake, who is not seeking re-election after six terms in office. Serwatka delayed a formal an-
SPORTS
nouncement so he could talk to his constituents and gauge whether he should run just after his successful campaign for village trustee. He said the response he received was overwhelmingly positive in encouraging him to campaign. “I just think that we have a real need for principled leadership in Illinois,” Serwatka said Friday. “This campaign is not just about Paul Serwatka wanting to work in Spring-
WHERE IT’S AT
State sets test standards
Advice ..................................C8 Buzz.................................... C10 Classified..........................D1-7 Comics ................................C11 Local News.............. A2-3, 5-6 Lottery..................................A2 Movies................................. C9 Nation&World.................... A6 Neighbors........................ B1-6 Obituaries .......................A4-5 Opinions ............................. A7 Puzzles ............................. D7-8 Sports................................C1-7 State .................................... A6 TV listings ..........................D8 Weather ...............................A8
LOCAL NEWS
Coghlan hits 2 homers, Rizzo adds blast to beat Samardjiza, White Sox in 1st game of Crosstown Classic on South Side / C1
See SERWATKA, page A6
LOCAL NEWS
Rauner signs law requiring college credit for 3 or better on Advanced Placement exams / A3
Cubs make it 8 straight
field, but something much bigger and much more important.” Serwatka made headlines in the April election with his decisive upset victory to win a seat on the Lakewood Village Board as a write-in candidate, riding dissatisfaction with a proposal for a tax increment finance district anchored by a nonprofit sportsplex on the village’s outskirts.
“I just think that we have a real need for principled leadership in Illinois.” Paul Serwatka Lakewood village trustee
Road to recovery Helping Paws shelter in Woodstock takes in 6 puppies rescued from Ohio hoarder / A3
adno=0321287