CHICAGO – February 29, 2012 – Following a thorough scan undertaken at his directive, Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford announced today that the entire state’s investment portfolio under his management is devoid of any holdings in companies conducting business with Iran including, but not limited to, oil, petroleum, and mineral-extraction activities.
“Divestiture from Iran was a policy I supported when I served in the Illinois General Assembly and I continue to support today as the state treasurer. Keeping dollars from rogue countries like Iran helps with global security and our own state’s financial well-being. Financial prudence requires me to steer clear of any investments involved with Tehran’s energy sector. After all, this is a country that violently suppresses any political dissent within its own borders, supports international terrorism, reportedly hatched an assassination plot against foreign diplomats in our nation’s capital, and continues to foster instability throughout the Middle East,” said Rutherford.
“The state’s Iran divestment program from our state pension funds was a success, both extracting us from substantial risk and selling our assets in a manner that was profitable for the taxpayers of our state. I am proud to be able to declare that all state funds under my authority are in no way assisting Iran’s continuing drive for nuclear weapons, in flagrant violation of international law,” Rutherford said.
Jay Tcath, executive vice president of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, which was at the forefront of the advocacy campaign to pass that Iran divestment law in Springfield, praised Rutherford’s initiative, saying, “While that 2007 Illinois law compelled the state’s pension funds to divest from Iran, and some $133 million ultimately was divested, there was no such obligation placed upon state funds managed by the treasurer’s office. Nonetheless, Treasurer Rutherford committed to make any investment adjustments that were determined to be necessary. Divestment and other economic measures are essential components of efforts by the United Nations, the European Union, the U.S. Administration and Congress to peacefully prevent the terrorist-supporting state of Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon capability. It is both substantively and symbolically important that State Treasurer Dan Rutherford is advancing that noble cause.”
Rutherford also pledged to voluntarily uphold another part of the 2007 Iran divestment law: Each bid for a contract with the treasurer’s office must include a disclosure if the firm has any business dealings with the government of Iran.
This commitment to ensure that state funds are not being invested in ways that place undo risk on taxpayers’ dollars or undermine important American values or national interests is consistently upheld by Rutherford, who as a state senator co-sponsored legislation to divest all Illinois pension investments away from any companies doing business with Sudan.
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Showing posts with label Ilinois Channel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ilinois Channel. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, May 29, 2011
House Vote Defeats Effort to Reform Illinois' Workers' Compensation System
Workers compensation reform was one of the major pieces of legislation being considered in the spring session of the legislature. The bill was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kwame Raoul, who has had some of the major pieces of legislation handed to him this spring, including pension reform, and the Bill to abolish the death penalty in Illinois. Sen. Raoul was successful in passing all three major pieces of legislation out of the Senate.
But Sunday night, May 29, workers compensation reform died In the House on a vote of 55 yes 39 no, and 19 voting present. The House sponsor, Representative John Bradley of Marion,said just prior to the House vote that if the vote failed -- he would not seek "postponed reconsideration", which allows a bills sponsor to bring the vote back to the floor at a later time. Bradley, nearly screaming to his fellow House members, said "THIS IS THE VOTE!"
As Bradley noted, Illinois workers compensation system is the most expensive in the country, with the exception of Alaska. The workers compensation program is a so-called "No Fault" insurance system designed to cover workers who are injured on the job. But many businesses in Illinois have long claimed this system is rigged, and that many workers claim payments for injuries that occurred off the job. There have also been complaints that the Arbitrators-- who decide the outcome of challenges to Workers' Compensation cases -- are biased in favor of the workers.
So the bill sponsored by representative Bradley in the House, and Sen. Raoul in the Senate, would have reduced he fees paid for workers compensation claims by 30%. As John Bradley noted, the fees would have to be reduced by 50% in order for Illinois to become the third most expensive state under workman's comp. Bradley also noted that under the proposed cuts the level of compensation would still be 150% higher than the payments made to doctors under Medicare.
There were other changes in the bill: arbitrators would have to be lawyers and be trained to handle the cases. They would have three-year terms. And they would be moved around to avoid so-called "cozy relationships"
"Causation" was the key bugaboo. This goes to the claim by businesses that many workers comp claims were for injuries that actually occurred off the job. This was not directly addressed. Although supporters of the proposed reform claim that the improvements in the training of arbitrators would have addressed this problem to some extent.
For sure the reforms were not perfect. And as a result, the political divides were not clear-cut. Republicans both supported and opposed the bill. A number of Republicans said the reductions in the medical fee schedules were not enough. They also did not like that causation was not directly addressed. They noted that Caterpillar Inc. was neutral on the Bill because they felt it did not reform the system enough.
And yet, quite a number of Republicans joined with the Democratic sponsors to say that this Bill-while not perfect-was a major improvement. As Rep. Michael Zalewski(R) said on the House floor debate, "do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
And yet in the end, that is apparently exactly what happened. 19 House members voted not to vote, by Voting Present. And so the workers compensation Bill, one of the more significant pieces of legislation to come before the Illinois legislature this spring session, went down to defeat in the House by five votes.
Now what remains at question, is whether a Bill to get rid of the entire Workman's Compensation system will pass. That bill has already passed the House and is now in the Senate which returns on Monday morning at 11 AM. As noted above, the workers compensation system is designed to be a "no-fault insurance system." Should the legislature vote to abolish the workers compensation system, then the courts will become very busy places as every challenged case will have to be litigated before compensation is paid.
But Sunday night, May 29, workers compensation reform died In the House on a vote of 55 yes 39 no, and 19 voting present. The House sponsor, Representative John Bradley of Marion,said just prior to the House vote that if the vote failed -- he would not seek "postponed reconsideration", which allows a bills sponsor to bring the vote back to the floor at a later time. Bradley, nearly screaming to his fellow House members, said "THIS IS THE VOTE!"
As Bradley noted, Illinois workers compensation system is the most expensive in the country, with the exception of Alaska. The workers compensation program is a so-called "No Fault" insurance system designed to cover workers who are injured on the job. But many businesses in Illinois have long claimed this system is rigged, and that many workers claim payments for injuries that occurred off the job. There have also been complaints that the Arbitrators-- who decide the outcome of challenges to Workers' Compensation cases -- are biased in favor of the workers.
So the bill sponsored by representative Bradley in the House, and Sen. Raoul in the Senate, would have reduced he fees paid for workers compensation claims by 30%. As John Bradley noted, the fees would have to be reduced by 50% in order for Illinois to become the third most expensive state under workman's comp. Bradley also noted that under the proposed cuts the level of compensation would still be 150% higher than the payments made to doctors under Medicare.
There were other changes in the bill: arbitrators would have to be lawyers and be trained to handle the cases. They would have three-year terms. And they would be moved around to avoid so-called "cozy relationships"
"Causation" was the key bugaboo. This goes to the claim by businesses that many workers comp claims were for injuries that actually occurred off the job. This was not directly addressed. Although supporters of the proposed reform claim that the improvements in the training of arbitrators would have addressed this problem to some extent.
For sure the reforms were not perfect. And as a result, the political divides were not clear-cut. Republicans both supported and opposed the bill. A number of Republicans said the reductions in the medical fee schedules were not enough. They also did not like that causation was not directly addressed. They noted that Caterpillar Inc. was neutral on the Bill because they felt it did not reform the system enough.
And yet, quite a number of Republicans joined with the Democratic sponsors to say that this Bill-while not perfect-was a major improvement. As Rep. Michael Zalewski(R) said on the House floor debate, "do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
And yet in the end, that is apparently exactly what happened. 19 House members voted not to vote, by Voting Present. And so the workers compensation Bill, one of the more significant pieces of legislation to come before the Illinois legislature this spring session, went down to defeat in the House by five votes.
Now what remains at question, is whether a Bill to get rid of the entire Workman's Compensation system will pass. That bill has already passed the House and is now in the Senate which returns on Monday morning at 11 AM. As noted above, the workers compensation system is designed to be a "no-fault insurance system." Should the legislature vote to abolish the workers compensation system, then the courts will become very busy places as every challenged case will have to be litigated before compensation is paid.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Gov Quinn Names EPA's Doug Scott as New Head of Commerce Commission, Flores to IDFPR
CHICAGO - February 28, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced several top appointments to his executive cabinet. Today’s actions are the next step in a series of appointments Governor Quinn will continue making throughout the first quarter of 2011 as he continues to fulfill his commitment to creating jobs, recovering our economy and making state government more efficient and accountable to the people of Illinois.
Today Governor Quinn named Doug Scott as chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and Manuel “Manny” Flores as director of the Division of Banking of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Scott has served as director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) since 2005 and Flores has chaired the ICC since January 2010. Governor Quinn also named Andrew Ross as the state’s chief operating officer and Lisa Bonnett as interim director of IEPA.
“Throughout their careers, Doug Scott and Manny Flores have proven themselves to be strong advocates for the interests of Illinois’ working families,” said Governor Quinn. “Today’s appointments will allow them to keep fighting for Illinois’ consumers by ensuring proper oversight and regulation of utility companies and banks throughout our state.”
As director of the IEPA, Scott has protected Illinois’ consumers by working to significantly reduce emissions from the state’s power plants. He has also worked to support low-emission coal technology, wind power, and other alternative energy and fuel sources. Prior to leading the IEPA, Scott served as mayor of Rockford, and from 1995 to 2001 he served as state representative from Illinois’ 67th District. Scott has a bachelor of arts from the University of Tulsa and a juris doctorate from Marquette University.
As chairman of the ICC, Flores worked to ensure consumers received efficient, reliable, safe and fairly-priced utility services. Before leading the ICC, Flores served on the Chicago City Council and as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He received his undergraduate degree in political science from Dominican University and juris doctorate from George Washington University Law School.
Lisa Bonnett will serve as the interim director of the IEPA. Bonnett is currently serving as the agency’s acting deputy director and previously served at its chief fiscal officer. Bonnett has worked in state government for more than 30 years and lives in Springfield. She has a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Today Governor Quinn also named Andrew Ross as the state’s chief operating officer. Ross, who for the last two years has served as a deputy chief of staff in the governor’s office, will lead efforts to promote continued job growth in Illinois. He will manage efforts in the governor’s office and across state government to keep and attract new companies, encourage expansion of the green economy, and spur entrepreneurship and innovation across Illinois. In his previous position, Ross worked on an incentive package to keep Navistar and 3,000 jobs in Illinois, aided implementation of the state’s $31 billion capital program and helped overhaul the regulation of the Illinois cemetery industry following the tragedy at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip.
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Today Governor Quinn named Doug Scott as chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and Manuel “Manny” Flores as director of the Division of Banking of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Scott has served as director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) since 2005 and Flores has chaired the ICC since January 2010. Governor Quinn also named Andrew Ross as the state’s chief operating officer and Lisa Bonnett as interim director of IEPA.
“Throughout their careers, Doug Scott and Manny Flores have proven themselves to be strong advocates for the interests of Illinois’ working families,” said Governor Quinn. “Today’s appointments will allow them to keep fighting for Illinois’ consumers by ensuring proper oversight and regulation of utility companies and banks throughout our state.”
As director of the IEPA, Scott has protected Illinois’ consumers by working to significantly reduce emissions from the state’s power plants. He has also worked to support low-emission coal technology, wind power, and other alternative energy and fuel sources. Prior to leading the IEPA, Scott served as mayor of Rockford, and from 1995 to 2001 he served as state representative from Illinois’ 67th District. Scott has a bachelor of arts from the University of Tulsa and a juris doctorate from Marquette University.
As chairman of the ICC, Flores worked to ensure consumers received efficient, reliable, safe and fairly-priced utility services. Before leading the ICC, Flores served on the Chicago City Council and as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He received his undergraduate degree in political science from Dominican University and juris doctorate from George Washington University Law School.
Lisa Bonnett will serve as the interim director of the IEPA. Bonnett is currently serving as the agency’s acting deputy director and previously served at its chief fiscal officer. Bonnett has worked in state government for more than 30 years and lives in Springfield. She has a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Today Governor Quinn also named Andrew Ross as the state’s chief operating officer. Ross, who for the last two years has served as a deputy chief of staff in the governor’s office, will lead efforts to promote continued job growth in Illinois. He will manage efforts in the governor’s office and across state government to keep and attract new companies, encourage expansion of the green economy, and spur entrepreneurship and innovation across Illinois. In his previous position, Ross worked on an incentive package to keep Navistar and 3,000 jobs in Illinois, aided implementation of the state’s $31 billion capital program and helped overhaul the regulation of the Illinois cemetery industry following the tragedy at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip.
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