250,000 Unlicensed Illinois Drivers Pose Preventable Danger; Increased Insurance Costs for All Drivers

CHICAGO- November 20, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) today were joined by state and local leaders and the Illinois Highway Safety Coalition (HSC) to announce their support of efforts to ensure that every Illinois motorist is properly licensed to drive. Because they do not have a driver's license, an estimated 250,000 immigrant motorists are on Illinois roads today that have not passed a driving test. By removing this barrier through responsible legislation, to be introduced by President Cullerton in the coming weeks, Illinois roads will be safer and more immigrants will be able to become stronger contributors to the economy.

"This is a safety issue that impacts every driver in Illinois and we should join together to take swift action to save lives," Governor Quinn said. "Making sure all motorists, regardless of their background, are licensed and insured will drive economic growth and ease the financial burden on all Illinois motorists."

"I'm honored to work with the Illinois Highway Safety Coalition to introduce legislation to improve the safety of our roads and highways by ensuring all Illinois drivers are trained, tested, licensed and insured," said President Cullerton.

According to the Illinois Highway Safety Coalition, unlicensed, uninsured drivers are involved in almost 80,000 accidents in Illinois each year, resulting in $660 million in damage. Unlicensed immigrant drivers cost $64 million in damage claims alone. Unlicensed drivers pose an enormous, yet preventable, safety risk for all Illinois drivers and leads to higher insurance costs for everyone. If half of the estimated 250,000 unlicensed immigrants became properly licensed and insured, Illinois insurance policy holders would save an estimated $46 million a year in premium payments.  Nationwide, unlicensed motorists are five times likelier to be involved in a fatal crash than licensed drivers.

Immigrants without a social security number are currently prohibited under state law from getting a driver's license. Studies have shown that immigrants who can drive legally are more likely to work, spend and contribute to the economy. Having a driver's license provides greater access to job opportunities and drives business activity and growth.

"I strongly support state legislation that will allow every Chicagoan, regardless of legal status, to enjoy the rights and responsibilities that come with a driver's license," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "I commend Senate President John Cullerton for his leadership to introduce legislation during the 2012 veto session to require all Illinois drivers, including undocumented drivers, to get trained, licensed and insured. I will be a strong advocate for this bill as we work to make Chicago the most immigrant-friendly city in the country."

In addition to posing a safety risk and a barrier to economic growth, unlicensed immigrant drivers significantly drain local law enforcement resources. In Cook County, nearly 48,000 tickets were issued in 2011 for driving without a license. Unlicensed drivers are also difficult to identify by law enforcement during traffic stops and by first responders and health care providers, which increases the potential for errors.

Washington and New Mexico have already passed similar laws, which resulted in declines in traffic accidents involving unlicensed drivers. By licensing more drivers, Illinois can increase safety across the state and ensure more motorists follow the rules of the road.

For more information about the Highway Safety Coalition and to see the list of lawmakers, business, faith, labor and community groups who support this common sense measure, visit HighwaySafetyCoalition.org.

Grassley said that whistleblowers are being denied the protections they should have under the law because of decisions of the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, and a general anti-whistleblower sentiment found in executive branch agencies.

Grassley co-authored the 1989 Whistleblower Protection Act with Senator Carl Levin of Michigan.  The law provides protection for federal employees who expose waste, fraud and abuse in federal agencies.  Grassley introduced the update, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, with Senators Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Susan Collins of Maine and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

"This much needed update helps whistleblowers who risk their careers by sticking their necks out to simply tell the truth.  The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act is an important step forward, but improvements are still needed to ensure that intelligence community whistleblowers receive the protection they deserve for uncovering fraud deep within the bureaucracy," Grassley said.

A long-time advocate for whistleblowers, Grassley has stood up against the heavy hand of the bureaucracy - regardless of whether Republicans or Democrats were in charge -- for individual whistleblowers from the Pentagon, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the IRS, the Interior Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In addition to co-authoring the 1989 whistleblower law, Grassley also authored the 1986 update of the False Claims Act to include qui tam provisions that empower private citizens, who had information about fraudulent activity by government contractors, to bring wrongdoing forward and sue in the name of the government.  To date, these whistleblower provisions have recovered more than $30 billion for taxpayers that otherwise would be lost to fraud.

In 2009, Grassley and Senator Patrick Leahy won passage of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act which made the most significant improvements to the False Claims Act since 1986.  The law restores the scope and applicability of the False Claims Act where it had been limited by court decisions.  This effort also revised criminal laws to help prosecute mortgage fraud, securities fraud, and complex financial crimes that led to the 2008 financial crisis.

In addition, Grassley authored the 2006 overhaul of the IRS whistleblower program to fight major tax fraud.  The IRS recently paid out its largest award ever, but has acknowledged, after scrutiny from Grassley, that the agency must be more timely and responsive in processing whistleblower claims.

Once signed into law, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 will:

·         clarify that any disclosure of gross waste or mismanagement, fraud, abuse, or illegal activity may be protected, but not disagreements over legitimate policy decisions;

·         suspend the sole jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals over federal employee whistleblower cases for two years;

·         extend Whistleblower Protection Act coverage and other non-discrimination and anti-retaliatory laws to all employees of the Transportation Security Administration;

·         clarify that whistleblowers may disclose evidence of censorship of scientific or technical information under the same standards that apply to disclosures of other kinds of waste, fraud, and abuse;

·         codify the anti-gag provision, which Grassley originally got passed, that has been part of every Transportation-Treasury Appropriations bill since 1988;

·         establish Whistleblower Protection Ombudsmen to educate agency personnel about whistleblower rights; and

·         provide the Office of Special Counsel with the independent right to file "friend of the court" briefs, or amicus briefs, with federal courts.

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On Monday, November 5th, the President and First Lady will end their last campaign in the state where it all began four years ago, and will be joined by Bruce Springsteen.

Date: Monday, November 5

Gates open: 7:30 PM

Venue: Des Moines' East Village

Location: Enter on East Grand Avenue and East 5th Street

CHICAGO - President Obama released the following statement today in reaction to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's endorsement:

"I'm honored to have Mayor Bloomberg's endorsement.  I deeply respect him for his leadership in business, philanthropy and government, and appreciate the extraordinary job he's doing right now, leading New York City through these difficult days.

"While we may not agree on every issue, Mayor Bloomberg and I agree on the most important issues of our time - that the key to a strong economy is investing in the skills and education of our people, that immigration reform is essential to an open and dynamic democracy, and that climate change is a threat to our children's future, and we owe it to them to do something about it.  Just as importantly, we agree that whether we are Democrats, Republicans, or independents, there is only one way to solve these challenges and move forward as a nation - together.  I look forward to thanking him in person - but for now, he has my continued commitment that this country will stand by New York in its time of need.  And New Yorkers have my word that we will recover, we will rebuild, and we will come back stronger."

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