Local hospital groups say over 500 area jobs on the line

Local hospital groups say over 500 area jobs on the line

Staff Report
ROCKFORD – State Rep. Litesa Wallace, D-Rockford, and State Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, joined Rockford families standing in opposition to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposal to reduce and eliminate life-saving treatment for breast and cervical cancer patients, home energy assistance, in-home care for the elderly and other services for middle-class families Wednesday.
“We can’t afford a budget that is balanced on the backs of people who are already struggling to make ends meet,” Wallace said. “These men and women work hard to provide for their families. They didn’t create the mess in Springfield. It’s not fair and it’s not responsible to make them pay for it.”
“Many of the programs being targeted actually save the state money in the long run,” said Stadelman. “Whether you’re talking about helping at-risk teens or services that help keep seniors and the disabled in their homes, it’s costlier for the state when people instead end up in nursing homes, institutions or prison.”
Rauner’s proposed budget slashes $9.8 million in funding for the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP), a reduction that the Illinois Department of Public Health estimates will eliminate screenings for 14,000 women.
“Because of Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, I am a breast cancer survivor,” said Janice Edwards of Rockford. “There are thousands of women out there like me. So Governor Rauner, when you decide how to best serve the citizens of Illinois, don’t think of me. Think of your daughters. Think of your mother. Think of your wife. Think of the women you know who have loved you, encouraged you and supported you throughout your life. And think about what it would be like to lose them. Because if you cut funding to the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, more people across our state will lose the beloved women in their lives. More families will be torn apart by the irreversible effects of cancer.”
Nurses and health care workers joined Wallace and Stadelman to oppose Rauner’s proposed cut to nursing home funding and elimination of nearly $29 million from OSF Saint Anthony Hospital, Rockford Memorial Hospital, SwedishAmerican Hospital and Van Matre Health South Rehabilitation Hospital, which the Illinois Hospital Association estimates will take over $68 million out of the Rockford economy and eliminate nearly 500 local jobs.
Rauner has also called for the suspension of funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps over 4,600 Winnebago County residents keep the heat on every winter, and has proposed severe reductions to programs that serve families of children with autism, and provide in-home care for the elderly.
Local families stood with Wallace and Stadelman at Milestone Elmwood Heights to urge a more balanced approach that responsibly addresses the state’s budget challenges while protecting critical services for middle-class families, the elderly and those in great need
“These families need a state government that listens to their needs and works for them, and that starts with a responsible budget that provides for the services they need most,” Wallace said.
“The decisions that the governor and legislators will make in the coming days, weeks and months will have a direct impact on the parents, patients, caregivers, young people and seniors of our community, and I am determined to make sure their voices are heard.”

Above is from:  http://rockrivertimes.com/2015/06/18/wallace-stadelman-stand-with-local-families-to-oppose-rauner-budget-plan/

SEIU Healthcare Illinois ad blames Rauner for "dangerous" budget cuts

SEIU Healthcare Illinois ad blames Rauner for "dangerous" budget cuts

SPRINGFIELD - As the Illinois General Assembly continues to bicker over the FY 16 budget, the state employee union SEIU Healthcare released an emotional Internet ad blaming Governor Rauner for proposing home health care cuts for Medicaid patients.
"If we lose our home health care, he'll go ... to a nursing home, and he'll die in a nursing home," says Terry about Wade, one of the Medicaid patients featured in the ad.
Governor Rauner has no compassion, "especially for the working-class people," another says.

Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 03:29 PM | Permalink

Technorati Tags: health care, Illinois Review, SEIU

 

Above is available at:  http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2015/06/seiu-healthcare-illinois-ad-blames-rauner-for-dangerous-budget-cuts.html

Oops: The state may soon receive a $2 million windfall from the Rauner campaign

Oops: The state may soon receive a $2 million windfall from the Rauner campaign Monday, Jun 15, 2015

* Remember this Gov. Bruce Rauner quote from the other day when he was asked about how his contributors differed from Democratic contributors?…

“My donors are basically taxpayers. My donors are taxpayers. And the reality is, I have not taken money from folks who do business with the state, who make money from the government and by the government spending more money. Frankly, it’s illegal for businesses or individuals who contract or do business with the state to do business with politicians. That’s a good restriction. I haven’t taken any money from any of those folks. My donors are taxpayers, pure and simple.”

* Well…

The head of a company that has done more than $50,000 in business with the state in each of the past four years donated $2 million to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign fund in December in apparent conflict with state campaign finance laws.
Richard Uihlein of Lake Forest is CEO of Uline, a packaging supply company now based in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. In December, he gave Citizens for Rauner a $2 million contribution. Uihlein’s wife, Elizabeth, is president of the firm, and she donated $25,000 to Rauner in October. […]
A state law that took effect in 2010 state, “Any business entity whose contracts with State agencies, in the aggregate, annually total more than $50,000 … are prohibited from making any contributions to any political committee established to promote the candidacy of (i) the officeholder responsible for awarding the contracts or (ii) any other declared candidate for that office.” Vendors whose business exceeds the threshold are supposed to register with the State Board of Elections.

Uihlein’s company did not register with the Board of Elections.
Yikes.
* The matter is now under investigation by the state’s chief procurement officer. Other candidates who’ve found themselves in violation have had to give the money to the state’s General Revenue Fund…

As for whether that means Citizens for Rauner, the governor’s campaign fund, will have to give more than $2 million to the state treasury because of Uline’s state business, [the state’s chief procurement officer, Matt Brown] said he didn’t want to go that far.
“We want to conduct that analysis before I give you any idea what the outcome could be,” he said.

…Adding… This specific Uihlein topic was first mentioned by a commenter ten days ago.
…Adding More… Yellow Dog Democrat pointed out this issue way back in January.
* Meanwhile, let’s go back to this Tom Kacich story about how the governor is attempting to recruit candidates with the promise of spending $1 million each on 20 legislative candidates next year…

Gov. Bruce Rauner says he wants Meister to consider running for Senate, and is willing to bankroll his campaign to the tune of about a million dollars.
“He told me very specifically that he has 20 million dollars and that he’s working to do a million for 20 races that he thinks are the most winnable,” said Meister, the 32-year-old owner of Minneci’s Ristorante in southwest Champaign, and an unsuccessful candidate for state representative in 2012.

* I told subscribers about the questionable legality of this effort last week and included it in my newspaper column this week. The Sun-Times followed up…

“Whoever it is who is doing the recruiting and contributing would have to be set up as something other than the independent expenditure committee,” said Ken Menzel, general counsel to the Illinois State Board of Elections. […]
“When you say you’re going to encourage someone to run and you’ll help them raise so much money, that doesn’t mean you’re going to hand them a check for that amount,” Menzel said, but instead could mean: “’I can put you in touch with other groups from my donor base’ . . . the national campaigns kind of end up working that way, too.”
The attention that the practice is getting has set off alarms in the world of campaign finance, though, and word is campaign finance attorneys are looking into the legality of Rauner’s overture to Meister.
“The governor is not above the law,” said Jerry Morrison, assistant to the president of the SEIU Local 1 union. “If you’re going to present yourself to the public as a reformer and you’re going to shake up Springfield, you certainly should be following the law.

- Posted by Rich Miller

From:  http://capitolfax.com/2015/06/15/oops-the-state-may-soon-receive-a-2-million-windfall-from-the-rauner-campaign/

An investigation into Governor Bruce Rauner’s campaign finances goes public just as he prepares statewide television ad blitz.

EYEWITNESS NEWS CAPITOL BUREAU – An investigation into Governor Bruce Rauner’s campaign finances goes public just as he prepares statewide television ad blitz.

The Illinois Chief Procurement Officer is investigating a $2 million donation made to the Rauner campaign last December. The problem is the vendor may have broken the law by giving the governor a donation. This less than one week after Governor Bruce Rauner (R-Illinois) told reporters his campaign ledger is clean.

"My donors are taxpayers,” Rauner said. “The reality is I have not taken money from folks who do business with the state, who make money from the government by the government spending more money."

UIS Political Science Professor Ron Michaelson said the revelation comes at an awkward time for the governor. Rauner has spent most of June hammering Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) for working for so-called political cronies.

The law, passed in 2010, restricts donations for companies who receive more than $50,000 in contracts from the state. The law reads "Any business entity whose contracts with State agencies, in the aggregate, annually total more than $50,000 … are prohibited from making any contributions to any political committee established to promote the candidacy of (i) the officeholder responsible for awarding the contracts or (ii) any other declared candidate for that office."


CEO Richard Uihlein of Uline Inc., a packing materials company, made the $2 million donation to the Rauner campaign in December. Uline has received more than $50,000 from the governor’s office in the last three budget years according to the state comptroller’s office. Michaelson, a former Board of Elections director, said this happens every so often.

"It looks like in this case it might have been violated, it's been violated before,” Michaelson said.

He said companies who make receive many small contracts with the state can easily lose track and go over the limit.

"Sometimes it's exceeded unintentionally when it's a bunch of small contracts, but they all add up,” Michaelson said.

Uline is also required by law to register as an ineligible donor with the state board of elections. Uline did not. The donation is being investigated by the chief procurement officer. If a violation is determined, the Rauner campaign could have to pay the state a fine equal to the amount of the donation.

The governor's office said it could not speak for Uline and why the company was not properly registered as ineligible with the board of elections in the first place. Spokesperson Catherine Kelly said, “Rauner's campaign has a strong record of compliance.”

Rauner has also had an apparent change of heart on releasing television ads during the tense budget negotiations. The day after the May 31 deadline, the governor said Democrats were wildly speculating about a statewide TV ad blitz.

"I have never announced that I'm doing anything like that, they're just speculating at this point,” Rauner said.

Federal FCC files show ads in favor of Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda will begin rolling out across the state on Tuesday including in Central Illinois. The campaign is unprecedented during budget negotiations in a non-election year. Former campaign strategist Tim McAnarney said it's an indication the Rauner camp may be getting impatient.

"I think it's a sign that there's some stumbling along the way and that there wasn't an agreement as quickly as the governor would have liked,” McAnarney said.

But, he speculated launching ads amidst heated debate and negotiations may make reaching a deal more difficult.

"It will complicate negotiations,” McAnarney said. “These are human beings. No one likes to be attacked on either side."

The governor’s office did not comment on Rauner’s change of heart or the reason behind the decision to release the ads.

Pope's stance leaks; calls for urgent action on environment

 

NICOLE WINFIELD

Associated Press

‎June‎ ‎15‎, ‎2015

 

Pope's stance leaks; calls for urgent action on environment

NICOLE WINFIELD

Associated Press

‎June‎ ‎15‎, ‎2015

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A draft copy of Pope Francis' eagerly awaited encyclical on the environment calls for urgent action to protect the Earth and fight global warming, which the pope says is "mostly" due to human activity and the burning of fossil fuels.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the document that was leaked to the Italian newsweekly L'Espresso and published on its website Monday was not the final version and that the official encyclical would still be released as scheduled on Thursday.

The L'Espresso draft, which was published in galley form in Italian, makes many of the same points that Francis and his advisers have been making in the months-long rollout of the document.

In the draft, Francis lays out both the scientific and the moral reasons for protecting God's creation, noting that the poor are already suffering the most from air pollution and toxic dumping and will continue to bear the brunt of rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions. The draft says population growth isn't to blame for ecological problems but rather the consumerist, wasteful behavior of the rich.

Francis backs up his comments with science showing the impact on the planet of the continual loss of biodiversity in Amazonian rainforests, the melting of Arctic glaciers, the overfishing of the seas and the pollution of the world's water supply.

Francis has said he wanted the encyclical to be read by everyone — not just Catholics — and he notes in the introduction that the document is now part of the formal teaching "magisterium" of the Catholic Church. That could be read as a warning of sorts to climate skeptics, including many Catholics in the U.S. who have suggested they simply will ignore the encyclical since the pope's views on the environment clash with their doubts about climate change.

Francis in September will travel to the United States and address both the United Nations and the U.S. Congress. Some Republicans are vocal climate skeptics and many conservatives have criticized the pope from even taking up the environment in an encyclical, the most authoritative teaching document a pope can issue.

Francis has said previously that climate change is "mostly" man-made and that humankind has a moral imperative to radically change its behavior to protect the planet for future generations — as well as to prevent the poor from suffering due to the sins of the rich.

In the draft, the pope repeats that scientific studies have shown that global warming is due "mostly" to human activity and the emission of gasses that prevents heat from dispersing in the atmosphere. He says that is worsened by a development model based on using fossil fuels as the main source of energy in the world.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as many environmental groups, declined to comment on the content of the document, noting the Thursday embargo set by the Vatican for the official release.

 

FROM:  https://www.yahoo.com/news/draft-popes-eagerly-awaited-environment-encyclical-leaks-182821141--finance.html

Closer Look: Rauner, public unions not close on contracts : News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • The contracts for more than 40,000 Illinois state workers will expire at the end of the month, and their unions and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's negotiating team apparently aren't close to agreeing on new ones. The impasse has gotten more public attention in recent days, with union members staging nearly 100 protests throughout the state to rally public support to their calls for fair contracts. With the potential for a far-reaching strike or lockout looming, here are some things to know:

STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS

The state's contracts with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the state's largest public employee union representing roughly 36,000 state workers, and those with roughly two dozen smaller unions representing roughly 5,000 nurses, police officers and others expire June 30. Although they have been negotiating new pacts for six months, the sides remain far apart on several key issues, including wage increases, health insurance costs, the promotion process and how overtime pay is calculated.

Rauner has said little publicly about the status of negotiations. But AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch indicated they're not going well, telling members in a letter last month that Rauner had indicated he planned to "force a strike and shut down state government" until the union agrees to his terms.

In response to Lynch's allegations, Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly told The Associated Press that the governor's "negotiating team is committed to bargaining in good faith with the government unions to reach a deal that is fair to employees and taxpayers."

CONTRACT EXPIRATION

If agreements can't be reached in time, it's possible that the unions and Rauner could agree on contract extensions of several months to help facilitate negotiations under a less-pressurized setting, as has happened under past governors, including Rauner's predecessor, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. If not, a strike or lockout could occur.

AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said the union is committed to "doing the work required at the table" to reach an agreement, and that a strike "is not in the public interest."

Rauner, who has called for allowing cities to create union-free zones to attract development and has proposed an end to prevailing-wage laws, hasn't gone that far.

Kelly said that "as long as AFSCME is committed to bargaining in good faith, we are confident we can reach a contract by the deadline that benefits state workers and the taxpayers."

STRIKE

Without a contract in place, many unionized state workers would be allowed to vote to strike and walk off their jobs, though Lindall said that hasn't happened in Illinois history. That includes caseworkers at the Department of Children and Family Services, and home health care workers, among others. State agencies like the Department of Human Services and Secretary of State's office could shut down.

Without a contract, Rauner would also be able to lock out workers from their jobs.

Eyeing the possibility of a strike, lawmakers in the Democratic-led Legislature late last month approved a bill that would prohibit state workers from going on strike or being locked out of their jobs by the administration if negotiations on a new contract reach an impasse. Under current law, only prison guards and other public safety workers are barred from striking.

The proposal would allow either side in labor talks to declare an impasse, starting a process in which the contract would be sent to binding arbitration.

Rauner's attorneys have said that they believe the legislation would "change the nature of collective bargaining." The governor is expected to veto the bill.

Kelly said "the administration is not going to lock out employees and our team will continue to negotiate in good faith. If AFSCME members decide to strike, it will show they are placing their personal interests above the people they serve."

HISTORY SHOWS

History shows a mixed bag in terms of negotiations with past governors.

In 2004, Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed off on a 13 percent wage hike over the course of a four-year AFSCME contract which union leaders called the best deal in the country at the time. Blagojevich approved another contract with the union in 2008 that included average annual raises of roughly 4 percent.

Quinn's negotiations with the unions were tougher. After 11 months of bargaining sessions, the Democratic governor moved to terminate the state's extended contract with the unions.

The administration had been seeking a pay cut for state workers followed by a wage freeze. It also sought to have employees pay more for health insurance. Three months later, an agreement was reached giving employees a 2 percent wage increase in the final two years of their contract, but also requiring workers to pay more for health insurance.

From:  Closer Look: Rauner, public unions not close on contracts : News

BGA Public Eye: Now agency chairman, Schillerstrom's law firm to end tollway bond work

 

BGA Public Eye: Now agency chairman, Schillerstrom's law firm to end tollway bond work

Written By Better Government Association Posted: 06/14/2015, 11:22am

 

When Bruce Rauner ran for governor last year, he counted former DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom among those endorsing him.

Schillerstrom hosted a campaign fundraiser that brought in $25,000, gave $1,000 from his own political fund and introduced the future governor to other potential backers.

“I was a supporter of the governor early on,” Schillerstrom said in an interview.

Now Rauner has become a supporter of Schillerstrom, appointing the attorney and fellow Republican to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority board of directors in May then, this month, naming him chairman of the agency, which oversees billions of dollars in road projects in northern Illinois and controls more than 1,500 government jobs.

 

Schillerstrom’s law firm, Indianapolis-based Ice Miller LLP, has been doing legal work for the tollway system since at least 2008 for which it’s been paid a total of $236,945 over the past several years.

Ice Miller is involved in two current bond deals that could get the firm another $200,000, according to records and interviews.

Schillerstrom said he isn’t directly involved in those deals.

In any case, a tollway spokeswoman said Schillerstrom “will forgo any financial participation from Ice Miller’s work on these transactions.”

Schillerstrom initially said he could indirectly benefit from the tollway business because he’s an equity partner at Ice Miller’s Lisle office and shares in profits. He later said he won’t benefit from the tollway legal work in any way.

 

Ice Miller will continue working on the current bond transactions because “leaving now could stop or delay the deals,” Schillerstrom said.

But agency officials and the firm have agreed that Ice Miller, which has a four-year contract that was to expire in 2017, won’t get future bond work as long as Schillerstrom is on the tollway board “to avoid future conflicts,” a tollway official said.

“We want to make sure there’s no conflict,” Schillerstrom said. “We recognize that, going forward with me on the board, we have to change this.”

His law firm was hired in March to provide legal counsel on the two pending tollway transactions: a $400 million bond sale to help pay for road projects that may include widening the Jane Addams Tollway and the refinancing of $350 million of bonds sold in 2007 and 2008.

The $400 million deal could close as soon as July, with the law firm getting $100,000 in fees, according to the tollway authority. The other deal could close at any time and pay the firm up to $100,000 in fees.

Schillerstrom, who has been with Ice Miller since 2004, said he informed Rauner’s staff before his appointment of the firm’s work for the tollway.

Ice Miller is one of a pool of 10 law firms that provide legal counsel to the tollway on bond offerings and related matters, according to the agency.

Schillerstrom, who was DuPage County Board chairman for 12 years, left the  board in 2010 and since 2012 has been a registered lobbyist with clients that have included an Indiana technology firm and the South Suburban Joint Action Water Agency.

Schillerstrom said he is stepping away from lobbying: “I will not and cannot be a lobbyist if I’m a tollway director.”

As chairman of the tollway board, a position most recently held by Paula Wolff, Schillerstrom is paid $36,077 a year and gets health insurance. That’s in addition to the $119,640 yearly pension he receives from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund stemming from his DuPage County government tenure, according to interviews and records.

BGA Public Eye: Now agency chairman, Schillerstrom's law firm to end tollway bond work