Illinois residents asked for feedback regarding state’s transportation system

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation is seeking feedback on the state’s transportation system through its annual Illinois Traveler Opinion Survey, available today through Dec. 31.

“Illinois is the transportation hub of North America, a role we take very seriously,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “We deeply value the public’s feedback to help IDOT stay aware of every potential opportunity for improving how we maintain and grow Illinois’ transportation system.”

The annual survey, conducted through the University of Illinois Springfield’s Survey Research Office, seeks input on topics ranging from road conditions and ice-and-snow removal to commuting habits and driving behaviors. Questions also address IDOT’s website, the state’s rest-area system and Amtrak service.

In an effort to expand the feedback it receives from the public, IDOT for the first time is making the survey available online. To take the survey visit idot.illinois.gov.

 

 

‘Give Them Distance’ promotes Move Over law awareness, compliance

 

SCHILLER PARK— Gov. Bruce Rauner is teaming up with Illinois safety leaders to drive home the importance of the state’s Move Over law.

To launch the new “Give Them Distance” campaign, the governor gathered today with leaders from the Illinois Tollway, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police, AAA, the Mid-West Truckers Association and Secretary of State Jesse White’s office. The campaign launch took place at the O’Hare Oasis in Schiller Park.

“Awareness of this common-sense law is so important to our first-responders — and to anyone who has to pull off the side of the road to fix a flat or deal with engine trouble,” Rauner said. “Too many lives are being lost on our roadways. We want to make sure drivers know to slow down and move over for vehicles with flashing lights.”

The state’s Move Over Law, also known as Scott’s Law, was first enacted in 2002 after Lt. Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department was struck and killed by an intoxicated driver on the Dan Ryan Expressway while assisting at a crash scene in December 2000. It requires motorists approaching stopped emergency vehicles with lights flashing to slow down and move over, changing lanes if possible to make extra room.

While most Illinois motorists are aware of the law as it pertains to emergency vehicles, many might not know that it was expanded in January 2017 to include any vehicle with hazard lights flashing.

Drivers who fail to comply face serious penalties, including a fine of up to $10,000, two-year suspension of driving privileges and possible jail time.

“Making the roads of Illinois the safest ever is one of my top priorities, and the Move Over law helps us to do that,” said Secretary of State Jesse White. “Every day, emergency personnel are working to serve and protect us. We need to do our part to help keep them safe by yielding the right-of-way to all emergency vehicles and taking precautionary measures for disabled vehicles.

“We don’t want drivers to be involved in crashes because they weren’t paying attention to emergency responders.”

“Within the last five years, two Illinois State Police troopers were killed in the line of duty and several others injured when motorists failed to move over for emergency vehicles,” said ISP Director Leo Schmitz. “These tragedies and countless others across the nation could have been prevented if drivers remained alert and simply followed the laws designed to keep them and other motorists safe.”

“The Move Over law reinforces basic, common-sense rules you should always practice when encountering any vehicle on the side of the road anywhere,” agreed Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “Slow down, proceed with caution and change lanes if you can.”

Illinois Tollway Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom said he hopes motorists take heed.

“We’re calling on other leaders, communities and drivers throughout Illinois to join us and spread the word,” he said.

Illinois was home to 1,073 traffic fatalities in 2016, the first time the state topped 1,000 since 2008, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. The number of fatalities stood at 1,015 through Tuesday, Dec. 5, of this year, according to provisional IDOT data.

Drivers are encouraged to visit www.GiveThemDistance.com for more information on this safe-driving initiative.

Harvest emergency provisions speed crop transport after weather delays hinder planting, harvest

CHICAGO — Gov. Bruce Rauner yesterday  addressed the importance of agriculture to Illinois’ economy before an audience of hundreds of Illinois farmers and agribusiness leaders gathered at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago.

He arrived mid-morning at the general delegate session of the Illinois Farm Bureau’s four-day annual meeting, which concludes Tuesday, Dec. 5. The governor commended the bureau’s work on nutrient loss strategy, congratulated members on the organization’s recent centennial and talked about a task force formed to address a shortage in agriculture education, among other topics.

“Thanks for advocating for our farm families. Farm families are what America is all about – faith, family, hard work, love of God, love of country, giving back to the community,” Rauner said. “I’m all for you. Your success is Illinois’ success.”

Illinois is home to 72,200 farms on 27 million acres. Marketing of Illinois’ agricultural commodities generates more than $19 billion annually, with corn accounting for 54 percent of that total. Illinois’ food and fiber industry employs nearly 1 million people. The state ranks third nationally in the export of agricultural commodities, with $8.2 billion worth of goods shipped to other countries, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

The governor said he was honored to assist Illinois’ agriculture community by signing a harvest emergency Nov. 5 for the first time in state history. Under a new law Rauner signed Aug. 11, the declaration permits drivers of trucks carrying agricultural commodities over state highways to obtain a free permit to exceed gross vehicle weight limits by 10 percent. More than 1,500 permits have been issued since the declaration.
The emergency provision is in effect through mid-December and was enacted to help speed crop transport after weather-related delays affected planting and harvest during the 2017 season.

Rauner also told the gathering he is committed to renovating and reopening the State Fair’s Coliseum. The popular, historic structure first opened in 1901 and was the location of horse shows and other livestock competitions.

He also talked about job creation, in agriculture and in all sectors.
“You watch me,” Rauner said. “I will bring companies here on a massive scale once we’re freed up and we’re competitive in our regulations.”

Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr. thanked the governor for his remarks. “As our county farm bureau leaders develop the policies of our organization through our grassroots process, we appreciate the opportunity to hear from the leaders of our state,” he said.

Also attending the event Monday were bureau Vice President David Erickson, Director of State Legislation Kevin Semlow and Director of Governmental Affairs and Commodities Mark Gebhards.

The Illinois Farm Bureau, also known as the Illinois Agricultural Association, was formed in 1916. The nonprofit member organization fosters agricultural education and advocates for farm-friendly legislative policy.

State Rep. Jeanne Ives made it official. The Wheaton Republican is challenging Gov. Bruce Rauner in the GOP gubernatorial primary in March.

 

“In Illinois state government right now, you choose to be popular with the Illinois political ruling class and become an enemy of the Illinois taxpayers, or you choose to represent taxpaying Illinois families and make enemies of the political ruling class,” Ives said in a video released Monday morning. “I choose taxpaying Illinois families. Gov. Rauner chose the political ruling class.” said Ives.

Please click on the link below for the full story from Illinois News Radio Network.

https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/rep-jeanne-ives-formally-announces-gop-primary-challenge-to-gov/article_75f6ae06-d926-11e7-a4d9-9bb650afaa1e.html

SPRINGFIELD –  There was a bomb threat this afternoon at the Illinois State Capitol.  The all clear was given around 5:30 p.m.

Please click on the link below for the story and video from Leslie Fannon of WCIA in Champaign.

http://www.illinoishomepage.net/news/local-news/bomb-threat-at-capitol/874941541

SPRINGFIELD – A group of Republican Illinois lawmakers and pro-life organizations are suing the state of Illinois in an attempt to block controversial new legislation that would allow taxpayer dollars to be used to pay for elective abortions in the state.

The Thomas More Society said it filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs and taxpayers across the state today in Sangamon County Circuit Court to halt implementation of House Bill 40.

“The people of Illinois totally reject taxpayer-funded abortions,” Thomas More Society Special Counsel Peter Breen, who drafted the lawsuit, said in a statement. Breen also is a Republican state representative from Lombard.

Please click on the link below for the full story from Illinois News Radio Network.

https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/gop-lawmakers-pro-life-groups-sue-state-over-taxpayer-funded/article_cb6106c0-d5f7-11e7-9ecf-0bbd0fbfaf53.html

 

CHICAGO  — Today the State of Illinois priced $750 million in new money General Obligation bonds for 2018 capital expenditures. Bond proceeds will be used to fund major capital construction projects and finance information technology projects.

The General Obligation bonds were priced competitively in two separate bids:

• The $655,000,000 Series of December 2017A fixed-rate bonds with a final maturity in 2042 will be used to fund major capital construction projects. The 2017A bonds received eight bids and the bonds were awarded to Bank of America Merrill Lynch with a true interest cost of 4.33 percent.

• The $95,000,000 Series of December 2017B fixed rate bonds with a final maturity in 2027 will be used to finance information technology projects. The 2017B bonds received 10 bids and the bonds were awarded to Bank of America Merrill Lynch with a true interest cost of 3.71 percent.

Today’s bond issue has an all-in borrowing cost for the combined series of 4.29 percent. The bonds are being issued as fully tax-exempt from federal taxation and are rated “BBB” by Fitch Ratings, “Baa3” by Moody’s Investors Service and “BBB-” by S&P Global.

“We are very pleased with the strong response that the State received on today’s competitive bids,” said Scott Harry, director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget. “These transactions will allow the State to move forward with funding to address essential capital and infrastructure needs at an attractive interest rate.”

Chapman and Cutler LLP and Hardwick Law Firm LLC are acting as co-bond counsel for the State. Chapman and Cutler LLP is the State’s disclosure counsel. The State’s financial adviser for the transaction is Sycamore Advisors LLC.

Worker Advocate: It is time for the Court to recognize that the First Amendment protects public employees from being forced to subsidize union speech

Washington, DC (November 29, 2017) – Today, attorneys for Illinois public servant Mark Janus filed the first merits brief in the Supreme Court case, Janus v. AFSCME. The brief asks the High Court to recognize that the First Amendment protects public workers from being required to make payments to union officials as a condition of working for their own government.

Plaintiff Mark Janus is an Illinois child support specialist who filed the challenge with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the Liberty Justice Center. Janus is currently required to pay union fees to AFSCME union officials even though he opposes many of the positions union officials advocate using his money and feels he would be better off without the union’s so-called representation.

In the 1977 Abood v. Detroit Board of Education case, a divided High Court ruled that public employees could not be required to subsidize many political and ideological union activities; however the court left in place forced fees used to subsidize union monopoly bargaining with the government. In a series of cases in the last five years, the Supreme Court has begun to question the theory underpinning Abood.

In the National Right to Work Foundation-won Knox v. SEIU (2012) and Harris v. Quinn (2014) cases, the Supreme Court made clear that mandatory union payments invoke the highest level of First Amendment protection. In Janus, Mark Janus asks the Supreme Court to apply this heightened scrutiny to all mandatory union payments required of government employees.

If the High Court rules in Janus’ favor, over 5 million public school teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other government employees who currently are forced to pay money to union officials just to keep their jobs would be free to decide individually whether or not to make voluntary union payments. Oral arguments in the case are now expected to occur in late February.

“Forced union fees remain the largest regime of compelled speech in the nation,” said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. “Forty years ago in Abood, the Supreme Court erroneously left forced fees in place citing the artificial distinction between union officials’ ideological activities and union bargaining with the government that inherently seeks to alter public policy.”

“Now that the Janus case is being briefed for argument at the High Court, we are hopeful that in the coming months the Supreme Court will correct this anomaly in First Amendment jurisprudence by striking down all mandatory union payments for public workers,” continued Mix. “Americans shouldn’t forfeit their First Amendment protections just to work for their own government.”

“Government workers like Mark Janus shouldn’t have to pay for union politics just to keep their jobs,” said Jacob Huebert, director of litigation at the Liberty Justice Center. “The First Amendment gives everyone the right to choose which political groups they will and won’t support with their money.”

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The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in more than 250 cases nationwide per year. Its web address is www.nrtw.org.