March 4, 2010

Bishop Joseph M. Siegel of the Diocese of Joliet traveled to Springfield and met with State Sen. Dan Cronin during the annual Catholics at the Capitol day on March 3.

Cronin said that every year hundreds of Catholic school representatives—including parents, parishioners, school board members, and pastors—travel to the state Capitol to meet with lawmakers and lobby on a variety of issues that impact Catholic schools.

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure students with diabetes are safe in school, and have the same access to academic opportunities as other children, State Sen. Dan Cronin (R-Elmhurst) has sponsored Senate Bill 3822 to protect and provide commonsense care for diabetic children.

“Currently, Illinois has no baseline protocol identifying how school administrators and educators must care for and accommodate diabetic children. Some school districts have great policies in place to ensure these kids receive the same educational opportunities as every other student, with school workers who are knowledgeable about diabetes. However, in many schools that is not the case,” said Cronin.

The senator explained that diabetic students often cannot take part in classroom experiences because they are absent for blood testing or insulin injections. School districts have also prohibited students from carrying their blood testing equipment and medicine with them, while in other instances a student’s diabetes has precluded them from participating in after school activities.

February 18, 2010

Resolutions were filed on Feb. 18 to amend the Illinois Constitution with reforms that would take the power of drawing legislative maps out of lawmakers’ hands and place it into the hands of an independent commission.

House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 56 and Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 104 take an initiative sponsored by the League of Women Voters and other government reform groups and put it into legislation for General Assembly passage.

The current process allows legislative leaders to draw district boundaries behind closed doors. The constitutional amendment would require public hearings, ensure public display of proposed maps and allow public submission of proposed maps.  Since 2001, incumbents have a 98 percent reelection rate; passage of the amendment will encourage competition and promote diversity.

The League of Women Voters has taken the lead in recommending the constitutional amendment, and has partnered with other reform groups, including: the Better Government Association, members of the Illinois Reform Commission, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, Common Cause – Illinois, the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Americans for Prosperity, Illinois Alliance for Growth, Independent Voters of Illinois and United Power for Action and Justice.
 
“We are thrilled that legislative leaders are proposing this constitutional amendment with our language in it—and we are hopeful that lawmakers will do the right thing and pass it through the General Assembly,” said Jan Czarnik, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters. 

According to state law, in order for the Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment  to appear on the ballot in November—the General Assembly must pass it with a 3/5th majority by May 2, 2010 (six months before the election).

February 18, 2010

A report released by the respected research group the Pew Center on the States found that Illinois ranks dead last when it comes to funding the state’s pension systems.

According to the report, Illinois’ unfunded liability surpasses $54 billion—or only slightly more than half of what the state needs to pay to its five state retirement funds. The Pew Center noted that only 54 percent of the state’s pension liability is funded, which is far below the 80 percent funding level recommended by experts.

It was also highlighted that Illinois has consistently deferred making its required payments into the systems, “paying less than 60 percent of the required amount in each year since 2005” and issuing “$3.5 billion in bonds to pay for its 2010 actuarially required contribution.”

The Pew Center’s study only researched pension funds through fiscal year 2008 and does not even account for the recent stock market crash—and the serious impact that had on the value of state pension investments.