New director of consumer affairs to advise governor and state agencies on matters of consumers' rights, identity theft, consumer privacy and utilities

[JAN. 12, 2006]  CHICAGO -- On Wednesday, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich appointed longtime consumer advocate Martin R. Cohen as his first director of consumer affairs, responsible for advising the governor and coordinating state agencies' actions on consumer matters ranging from privacy protection and identity theft to energy policy.

"Consumers in Illinois need our help," Blagojevich said. "Rising energy costs are adding pressure to family budgets. As new technology develops, so does the risk of having your personal information, or even your identity, stolen. More than ever, it's essential that consumers have a seat at the decision-making table. Marty Cohen brings 20 years of hard work with the Citizens Utility Board, and a deep understanding of the threats and issues consumers face, to my administration."

Cohen will provide the governor with timely advice regarding initiatives and laws that can help protect the state's consumers, and he will help coordinate state agencies' policies regarding issues of consumer fraud, identity theft, privacy protection, and energy and telecommunications policy.

"I'm pleased to be appointed by Governor Blagojevich to take on this important new position," Cohen said. "In many ways, it's a continuation of the work I've done for more than two decades on behalf of Illinois consumers. I've known the governor since he was a freshman legislator in Springfield, and he sponsored a number of pro-consumer initiatives CUB worked on. I look forward to working closely with him again and helping his administration in its ongoing efforts to protect consumers."

Cohen previously served as executive director of the Citizens Utility Board for 12 years and served briefly as chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission last year. A graduate of Washington University, Cohen worked in the 1983 Chicago mayoral campaign for the late Harold Washington and the 1984 U.S. senatorial campaign for the late Paul Simon before joining the Citizens Utility Board as administrative director in 1985.

Cohen became CUB's executive director in 1993, overseeing all functions of Illinois' largest not-for-profit consumer organization. He led CUB's successful efforts to pass legislation in 1997 that led to a record 20 percent cut in electric rates for most Illinois consumers, saving utility customers over $5 billion. He also headed CUB's negotiations with SBC in 2002, resulting in a $50 credit per phone line for SBC customers, the largest in Illinois' history.

Since entering office, the governor has taken aggressive steps to respond to consumers' needs, especially in the face of record-high heating costs this winter.

Last September, the governor named Ed Hurley, the outgoing chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission, as a special director of emergency energy assistance, a position created to marshal resources from the public and private sectors and coordinate assistance to vulnerable populations affected by the record-high heating costs.

Responding to the growing threat of identity theft, the governor last week announced a series of proposals to crack down on the unauthorized release or sale of phone records and other private information by brokers and phone companies. If passed by the General Assembly, the proposed legislation would make Illinois the first state in the nation to fight "pretexting," which is the practice of pretending to be the account holder or to have authorization to access an account, in order to obtain cell phone records, long-distance call records and other personal records.

During the last legislative session, the governor signed into law several bills that deal with identity theft, including legislation that requires companies to notify Illinois consumers if personal information is compromised, allows victims of identity theft to freeze their credit reports and requires the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to phase in new Conservation ID numbers to replace Social Security numbers on hunting and fishing licenses.

[News release]