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Lawmakers block governor's raid of teachers' insurance fund
Illinois lawmakers have blocked Gov. Rod Blagojevich's efforts to
raid more money from the Teacher Health Insurance Security Fund.
The governor already took $4.5 million from the fund in 2004, so
the General Assembly approved legislation this spring --
House Bill 3272 -- to protect the fund from future raids. But
this summer, the governor changed the legislation so he could raid
this fund as well as others.
Fortunately, lawmakers stood firm. The House of Representatives
voted on Oct. 26 and the Senate voted on Nov. 2 to block the
governor's attempts to raid this dedicated fund, and others like it,
in an attempt to shore up his supposedly "balanced" budget.
The Teacher Health Insurance Security Fund is where the four
funding sources for the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program are
deposited. The Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program is the health
insurance plan for retired educators in Illinois.
Lawmakers welcome Ozzie Guillen, Jerry Reinsdorf to Senate
I joined with my fellow legislators Nov. 2 in welcoming Jerry
Reinsdorf, chairman, and Ozzie Guillen, manager, of the World Series
champion Chicago White Sox to Springfield. The General Assembly
adopted
House Resolution 715 and
Senate Resolution 509 congratulating the White Sox for winning
the 2005 World Series.
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 Traveling office hours coming to Dawson, Latham
Members of my staff will meet with residents of Dawson and Latham
on Tuesday. These "traveling office hours" allow citizens to seek
assistance from my office about problems with a state government
agency or to express their opinions on legislation pending in
Springfield.
My staff will be at Dawson Village Hall from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and
at Latham Village Hall from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday. Area
residents can stop by at any time during those hours. Appointments
are not necessary.
People who are unable to attend but wish to express a concern on
legislation or need assistance with a state agency may write to Sen.
Bill Brady, 2203 Eastland Drive, Suite 3, Bloomington, IL 61704 or
105-D State House, Springfield, IL 62706. Please include your return
address on the outside of the envelope.
People requiring special accommodations should call (217)
782-6216 at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled office hours.
[From
Sen. Bill Brady] |
