|
Sen.
Brady: Court rules against governor's fees
A Nov. 29 decision by a Cook County
Circuit Court judge against fees imposed on employers sends a clear
message that the Blagojevich administration must rethink its
tax-and-spend policies. Circuit Court Judge Patrick McGann ruled
that the governor's big increase in fees on business for workers'
compensation insurance was unconstitutional and struck the fee
increase down.
This Cook County judge said fees can
be raised only to cover the cost of government regulation or service
-- NOT to pay for general government spending, which is what the
governor has been doing. The court ruling could give all fee-payers
grounds to challenge fee increases that fund general spending and
not just the regulatory program or government service the fee was
collected for. It is also conceivable that fee-payers may be able to
challenge the governor's penchant for raiding special funds that are
funded by fees.
Altogether, the governor increased
more than 300 fees last year, hoping to raise more than $400 million
a year. His actual fee collections fell short of his projection, and
he got only about $300 million, but he still managed to divert most
of that $300 million to the General Revenue Fund.
The court ruling is expected to be
appealed by the governor.
Sen.
Brady, Rep. Mitchell question DNR layoffs
Rep. Bill Mitchell and I expressed
our concern Wednesday about Department of Natural Resources layoffs
that pose a threat to tourism and security in DeWitt County.
At a press conference at the County
Building in Clinton, we questioned the layoff of Clinton Lake
superintendent Tim Kielar and a security officer.
Clinton Lake is central to tourism
in DeWitt County, one of this region's main industries. Cutting back
on personnel makes no economic sense, and there are also safety
issues concerning the reduction in security at the lake, which
surrounds the Clinton nuclear power plant.
Also attending the press conference
was DeWitt County Sheriff Roger Massey, who echoed our concerns
about losing a Department of Natural Resources security officer at
Clinton Lake.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
 Brady
appointed to retirement system board
Sen. Brady was recently appointed to
the General Assembly Retirement System board of trustees.
Established as a Public Employee Retirement System by state statute
on July 1, 1947, the retirement system commenced operations on Nov.
1, 1947.
The General Assembly Retirement
System now offers educational services to both active and retired
members as well as survivors. The programs are one-on-one
counseling, pre-retirement seminars for active members and
post-retirement seminars for retirees and survivors.
College
Illinois enrollment open until March 31, 2005
Families wanting to invest in their
children's future college education at today's prices have until
March 31, 2005, to participate in the seventh annual enrollment
period for College Illinois, the state's only 529 prepaid tuition
program.
The program is completely tax-exempt
in Illinois, and its designation as a 529 plan ensures that contract
earnings are also exempt from federal income tax.
Different plans are available and
can be purchased with a lump-sum payment or monthly installments.
The program allows the purchaser to pay for education ranging from
one community college semester to four years at a public university.
Contract benefits also may be used
at Illinois private colleges and at out-of-state colleges, both
private and public. Once a plan is purchased, anyone --
grandparents, relatives, family friends -- can make a payment on
behalf of the beneficiary.
Since the program was established in
1997, more than 42,000 contracts, representing nearly 140,000 years
of prepaid college, have been purchased.
Information and applications are
available by visiting
collegeillinois.com or by calling toll-free 1 (877) 877-3724.
[From
Sen. Bill Brady,
44th District]
 |
