Pensions – General Assembly
General Assembly to meet in session on Tuesday, December 3.  The session is expected to deal with the ongoing Illinois pension crisis.  Many State lawmakers and statewide elected officials have called for action to deal with at least $97 billion in unfunded liabilities reported by four major pension systems managed by boards of directors appointed by the State of Illinois, and partly funded by taxpayers.

By Benjamin Yount | Illinois Watchdog

Rep. Patti Bellock

Illinois is rewarding a private company that has found more than 200,000 people who should not be enrolled in Medicaid by pulling the firm off the job.

Maximus, a Virginia-based company, has been combing through the 2.7 million people enrolled in Illinois’ Medicaid program.

So far this year, the company has reviewed 465,076 cases, and recommended that 228,965 people — about half — be dropped from the Medicaid rolls. Illinois has removed 114,675 people from Medicaid, and kept 176,664. The remaining cases are pending.

But Maximus time on the job is coming to an end...

Please click HERE for the full article from Illinois Watchdog.

Residents impacted by recent tornadoes can immediately begin registration for grants and low-interest loans. Businesses can apply for low-interest loans.

President Obama has approved the state's request for federal assistance to help people and businesses in 15 Illinois counties recover from the November 17 deadly tornadoes. The announcement comes just one day after the Governor submitted his request for Champaign, Douglas, Fayette, Grundy, Jasper, LaSalle, Massac, Pope, Tazewell, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, Will and Woodford counties. Since November 17, Illinois’ emergency management officials have worked around-the-clock to expedite the federal request and direct aid into the communities as quickly as possible.”

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin is joining forces with the wine and spirits industry to promote the “We Don’t Serve Teens…and You Shouldn’t Either” campaign to protect teenagers from the dangers of underage drinking.

“Most teens who drink are provided the alcohol from parents of other teens, older siblings, friends and relatives,” said Durkin.   “Giving alcohol to teenagers not only undermines the efforts of parents to protect their children, it’s breaking the law.”

  Read more about the effort.

The Governor today asked President Obama to declare 15 Illinois counties major disaster areas to help people and businesses recover from a violent outbreak of tornadoes across the state on Nov. 17.

The requested federal disaster declaration is for Champaign, Douglas, Fayette, Grundy, Jasper, LaSalle, Massac, Pope, Tazewell, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, Will and Woodford counties.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency, in cooperation with other disaster relief agencies, is
opening Multi-Agency Recovery Centers (MARCs) in Gifford and Diamond. MARCs have already opened in Washington and Brookport. These centers are facilities where representatives of many different disaster relief agencies are available to assist residents of the affected areas - all under one roof.

The center at 2205 County Road 3000 in Gifford opens Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. and is open until 6 p.m.

In Diamond, the MARC is located at the Diamond Banquet Hall at 55 S. Daly Street, and is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. next Monday, December 2.

Updated storm recovery information from across Illinois is available at www.ready.illinois.gov.

Hepatitis C is now killing more people in this country than HIV/AIDS and another form of hepatitis combined.  More alarming, it is estimated that between half and three-quarters of those with the virus do not know they have it.

Those born between 1945 and 1965 are disproportionately affected by this disease, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that they get a one-time test for HCV regardless of whether they have any symptoms or risk factors. Other groups with a disproportionate burden of disease include African Americans, those undergoing dialysis, hemophiliacs, the homeless, the incarcerated, those who received a blood transfusion before 1992 and Vietnam veterans.

Rep. Michael McAuliffe recently passed legislation to create a task force to increase awarness about Hepatitis C.  Watch his interview on Comcast Newsmakers.