Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker have different ideas about how to tax motorists and raise money for road improvements around the state.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Illinois’ candidates for governor pitched their case to farmers Wednesday, touting their plans while jabbing each other.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Clouds of dust hovering over freshly harvested fields, the unforgettable sound of shoulder pads smashing together on high school football fields, and unbearable heat finally being replaced by cooler afternoon temperatures are guaranteed signs the Du Quoin Fair is just around the corner.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

CARBONDALE — Holding out for what he hoped would be a challenging road game paid off for SIU men’s basketball coach Barry Hinson and the Salukis.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

After Illinois lawmakers patted themselves on the back and told taxpayers the budget they passed this year was balanced, a bond issuance tells potential buyers that the state budget is $1.2 billion in the red.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

CARMI — One of the men who escaped the White County Jail this past June pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges related to his escape, and received the maximum sentence on all the charges.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner this week signed a bill package that increases access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment and addresses the state’s opioid crisis.

“We are taking steps to dramatically improve mental health and substance use disorder treatment for the people of Illinois,” Rauner said. “These five initiatives work together to improve the quality of care and hopefully, the quality of life for so many Illinoisans suffering from mental health and substance use disorders.”

Signed Wednesday:

• Senate Bill 1707 improves insurance companies’ coverage of mental health and substance use disorder treatments and strengthens the ability of the Department of Insurance to protect consumers.
• Senate Bill 682 allows providers to give immediate access to outpatient treatment by removing prior authorization barriers.
• Senate Bill 3049 expands access to behavioral and mental health experts for Medicaid patients by allowing them to utilize telehealth technology.

Signed Tuesday:

• Senate Bill 3023 partners law enforcement agencies with licensed substance abuse service providers.
• Senate Bill 2951 provides the Department of Healthcare and Family Services the opportunity to apply for a waiver that would allow treatment for serious mental illness on the first episode of psychosis.

 “The Opioid Helpline has received over 5,000 calls in eight months,” Rauner said. “The State Police have trained approximately 1,600 officers in the use of NARCAN. And now, with this signing, we are reaffirming our efforts, putting Illinois on the path to becoming the nation’s leader in mental health and substance use disorder treatment.”

In a ceremony at Memorial Center for Learning & Innovation in Springfield on Wednesday, Rauner signed the bill package to improve the quality of care for Illinoisans with mental health and substance use disorders.

“This is no time for moral platitudes, judgment or shame,” Rauner said. “We are amid an opioid crisis in our state and around the country. We need comprehensive, evidence-based solutions. And that is what we have here today.”

 Senate Bill 1707, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, improves the scope and coverage of Illinois’ parity laws and provides clear enforcement power to the Department of Insurance (DOI). The legislation prohibits prior authorization and step-therapy requirements for FDA-approved medications to treat substance use disorders and requires generic medications be on the lowest-tier of prescription formularies.

“This law is putting the ability to treat people and get them well back in the hands of providers,” Rauner said. “It lets providers do their jobs saving lives.”

The legislation also prohibits exclusions of the prescription coverage and related support services for substance use disorders because they are court-ordered.

“These medications are a critical component in the state’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis and get people, including those who are ordered by the court to seek treatment, the help they need,” said DOI Director Jennifer Hammer. “This isn’t just about rules and regulations, it’s about not giving up on people.”

This legislation also aims to improve transparency by requiring insurance companies to make parity compliance information available via a public website.

“I applaud the Illinois legislature and Gov. Rauner for enacting this landmark parity legislation, which will hold insurers accountable for complying with state and federal mental health parity laws,” said former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, founder of The Kennedy Forum. “By increasing access to treatment amid skyrocketing rates of overdoses and suicides in this country, SB 1707 will save lives! I call on other states to follow Illinois’ lead in demanding insurer and regulator transparency and accountability to help end coverage discrimination against people with mental health and addiction challenges.”

The legislation clarifies that medication-assisted treatment medical necessity determinations must comply with the American Society of Addiction medicine guidelines.

The man who danced with penguins in Mary Poppins, not the man who caddied for the Dali Llama, is Illinois’ best actor of the bicentennial.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

INA, Ill. – Rend Lake College has maintained the number one spot as the best community college in Illinois for a third straight year, based on an independent study by financial website WalletHub. The ranking is based on 17 key factors, ranging from cost and finances to educational and career outcomes.

The ranking, published this week, compares 715 community colleges from across the country. This year marks RLC’s fourth total appearance on the list. RLC – in 82nd place overall – is also the only Illinois community college in the top 200 across the country.

RLC landed 18th in the nation when it comes to educational outcomes, up from 52nd place in the 2017 ranking. Metrics used when comparing educational outcomes include first-year retention rate, graduation rate, transfer-out rate, credentials (degrees and certificates) awarded per 100 full-time equivalency students, share of full-time faculty, and student-faculty ratio.

The college also placed 43rd in the nation for career outcomes, including return on educational investment, student-loan default rate, median salary after attending, and former students earning above the average earnings of a high school graduate.

This year, the site also ranked RLC tied in first when it comes to highest return on educational investment among all of the colleges across the country. The others ranked in first for highest return on investment, or the ratio of starting salary for graduates to the cost of education, includes two colleges in California, and one in Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

Terry Wilkerson, RLC President, said he’s pleased to find RLC has maintained the first place ranking among Illinois colleges.

“The WalletHub ranking shows we’re doing something right. This year, with the addition of the number one spot on the list of colleges who provide the highest return on investment, is proof of our commitment to the community and students in our district,” said Wilkerson. “I want to recognize our faculty and staff for continuing to go above and beyond, and our students for making Rend Lake College their number one choice.”

According to WalletHub, the information and data included in the ranking was gathered from the National Center for Educational Statistics, US News, U.S. Department of Education, Council for Community & Economic Research, and College Measures. To view the WalletHub ranking, visit www.wallethub.com.

This year marks the college’s fourth appearance on the list. Start your journey at RLC by visiting www.rlc.edu.

 CHAMPAIGN — Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation today creating a merit-based scholarship program for Illinois students and a task force to help share college and career interest data between high schools and higher education institutions. Both initiatives are products of the Higher Education Working Group focused on making the state’s colleges and universities more affordable and accessible for Illinois students.

“Our future as a state is dependent upon people wanting to live, work and attend school here in Illinois,” Rauner said. “We want to create a place where our young people want to learn and put what they have learned into practice through careers that enrich our economy and make Illinois a better place to live.”

 From 1991 to 2014, enrollment at Illinois public universities and community colleges declined by 50,000 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. From 2011 to 2016, undergraduate enrollment at Illinois public universities fell 5,127 students, a decline of more than 8 percent.

 

“For too long, our ‘best and brightest’ have been leaving Illinois,” said Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet. “This brain drain and enrollment decline has not only devastated several of our universities and the communities they sit in, it also has hurt Illinois’ future as these students do not return. They instead pay taxes elsewhere, create, invent, and move another state’s economy forward with their work and efforts. People think that this is a new phenomenon. It is not. Demand for public higher education has been sliding for over 25 years, and we have been a net exporter of intellectual talent since the 1970s. It was well past time for the General Assembly to stand up and lead on this issue.”