44th District weekly update

From Sen. Bill Brady

[May 12, 2008] 

We're back!

My sincere apologies to you for not providing a 44th District update since April 18. My schedules in the 44th District and at the Capitol have been crushing. My district and Springfield staffs have been swamped. It is my hope that we are back on track. Thanks for your patience!

May 22 is Veterans Legislative Day in Springfield

Several of my Senate Republican colleagues and I are sponsoring a special Veterans Legislative Day in Springfield on May 22.

The Legislative Day will provide briefings, updates from members of the Senate's Veterans Affairs Committee and opportunities for veterans to meet with legislators.

Check-in runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Hall of Flags in the Howlett Building, across from the Capitol Building. The day's programs will begin at 11 a.m.

Lunch will be provided for all veterans and their guests who RSVP by Tuesday.

Registration is being conducted online at www.vets.ilsenategop.org. Those who do not have Internet access can make reservations by calling 217-782-1650.

Additional information -- including a map showing the location of the Howlett Building, as well as event updates -- is also available at www.vets.ilsenategop.org.

I encourage all Illinois veterans, active-duty personnel, and friends and families of service members to participate.

Sen. Brady continues to work to improve Health Facilities Board

I am continuing to push for changes to the Health Facilities Planning Board that would make it more accountable to health care consumers in Illinois.

On April 18, I filed an amendment to House Bill 5017, which would further change the process by which the board oversees the development and expansion of health care facilities.

For two years, I have been working for a health care oversight system that is fair, effective and free of outside influences. Illinois citizens facing health problems should not have to worry that their hospitals and clinics are part of a system that has been subjected to "pay to play" schemes and shakedowns, as has been alleged in the Chicago trial of gubernatorial fundraiser Tony Rezko.

My amendment would:

• Require General Assembly approval of the person recommended by the governor to serve as executive secretary of the board.

• Create a three-member rules revision subcommittee, which must meet at least twice each year to hear recommendations for changing board rules and must report at least once per year to the full board about recommended changes.

• Require at least one board member to be present at any public hearing at which public testimony is presented in response to a health care facility seeking a certificate of need or a certificate of exemption for medical center development or expansions.

Governor's attempt to move IDOT jobs could be illegal

An attempt by Gov. Rod Blagojevich to move Illinois Department of Transportation jobs from Springfield to southern Illinois could be illegal and is just the latest in a series of gubernatorial decisions that clearly indicate he should be removed from office.

I am not sure which is worse -- a governor who is truly ignorant of Illinois law or one who willfully ignores it. In either case, the citizens are not being served. State government is seriously adrift and quickly heading toward the rocks. We must do what is needed to get back on course.

The governor announced May 2 that he is moving approximately 150 IDOT jobs from Springfield to southern Illinois. However, the State Facilities Closure Act -- an initiative put forward by the Senate Republican Caucus in 2004 -- states that a governor cannot act without recommendations for closure and public hearings. There is a mandatory process for closing a facility, and it is unclear at this time whether the governor plans to fulfill the requirements of that law.

The IDOT office in Springfield oversees our state's transportation system and should remain consolidated under one roof in the capital city. We are also concerned about the IDOT employees and their families affected by this announcement. Will they be forced to move or will they lose their jobs?

I am a member of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, which will likely be asked to review Blagojevich's attempt to move the IDOT jobs without public hearings.

This latest decision by the governor is yet another reason that Illinois citizens should have an option to recall state officials. Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, killed a measure May 1 that would have allowed voters to decide to allow a constitutional amendment for the recall of elected officials.

Kudos

Kudos to local and state officials who have pledged to work together to stop the governor from closing the Pontiac prison, seemingly on a whim and counter to information provided by his office and the Department of Corrections. It is at the top of my agenda to help lead the fight in opposition to this closing.

Newspapers across central Illinois have editorialized about the need for cooperation and the end to political games that threaten the jobs and futures of countless Illinois citizens who work at state prisons or live in the communities where the prisons are located.

A May 8 editorial in the Bloomington Pantagraph stated: "A year ago, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections said there were no plans to close more prisons. State Rep. Keith Sommer said he was told a few weeks ago there was no reason for Pontiac to worry."

Just a few months ago, in February, the governor announced his intention to close the maximum security unit at the Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet. On May 5, however, Department of Corrections representatives revealed that Stateville will remain open and they were looking to close Pontiac Correctional Center.

How many times is the story going to change?

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has had enough. On Thursday, they announced legislation that would create a Correctional Facilities Panel, charged with closely examining the conditions at Illinois' correctional centers. Until the panel completes the review, a moratorium would be placed on all correctional facility closures.

[Text from file received from Sen. Bill Brady]