QUAD CITIES - The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Illinois State Police (ISP) and the Office of the Secretary of State, Department of Police (SOS) joined other safety advocates and law enforcement officials for the More Cops, More Stops "I-80 Cross Country Crackdown" to ramp up enforcement of life-saving laws during one of the busiest travel times of the year.

The purpose of this campaign is to crack down on drivers who are speeding, driving drunk or distracted, or not wearing a seat belt, with the goal of achieving a zero fatality rate for the eight-day period. The campaign began on July 24 and wraps up on July 31.

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today proclaimed July 29, 2013 to be Dennis Farina Day in Illinois in honor of his outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry and for his many years of public service.

WHEREAS, Illinois is a leader in supporting the arts, and acting has always been an important component of the artistic fabric of our state; and,

WHEREAS, one of the most successful actors to come from the Land of Lincoln was Dennis Farina, who was born in Chicago to a Sicilian-American family on February 29, 1944; and,

WHEREAS, Dennis Farina is unique in that he did not start acting until he was 37 years old, after serving in the military for 3 years and working for the Chicago Police Department for 18 years, where he spent most of his time in the burglary division; and,

WHEREAS, while still working in the burglary division, Dennis Farina's big break came when he was hired by director Michael Mann for the movie "Thief" (1981). This movie received critical acclaim, and they would go on to work together many times in the future; and,

WHEREAS, after "Thief," Dennis Farina started acting in Chicago theater before being cast by Mann in a lead role for the 1986 TV series "Crime Story"; and,

WHEREAS, Dennis Farina has acted in numerous other films including "Reindeer Games," "Paparazzi," "Midnight Run," and "Manhunter"; and,

WHEREAS, more recently, Dennis Farina appeared in the feature films "The Grand," "Bottle Shock," and "What Happens in Vegas." In addition, he also appeared on the NBC Series "Law and Order" and in the HBO mini-series, "Empire Falls," for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Mini-Series; and,

WHEREAS, on July 22, 2013, in Scottsdale, Arizona, Dennis Farina passed away at the age of 69; and,

WHEREAS, Dennis Farina's warmhearted nature, passion for acting, and great sense of humor were evident to everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him; and,

WHEREAS, his personality was formed in Chicago and, despite his remarkable accomplishments, he always remained loyal to his hometown; and,

WHEREAS, Dennis Farina is survived by many loving friends and family members including three sons, several grandchildren, and his longtime partner, Marianne Cahill; and,

THEREFORE, I, Pat Quinn, Governor of the State of Illinois, do hereby proclaim July 29, 2013 as DENNIS FARINA DAY in Illinois, in recognition of his tremendous contributions to the entertainment industry as an actor, and in remembrance of his years of public service to the Chicago Police Department and commitment to the Land of Lincoln.

64 members sign letter to House Appropriations Committee leaders

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressmen Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Tom Petri (WI-06) sent a bipartisan letter to the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee, calling on them to include strong funding for Meals on Wheels and other Senior Nutrition Programs in the FY2014 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill.  The letter, which was signed by a bipartisan group of 64 members, called on the House Appropriations Committee to fund these important programs at the same level as the Senate.  Earlier this month, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved their FY14 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriation bill, which included $816 million for Meals on Wheels and other Senior Nutrition Programs under the Older Americans Act.

"For more than 40 years, Senior Nutrition Programs have provided more than just meals. They have produced millions of dollars in savings for Medicaid and Medicare. The nutritious meals, along with the daily social contact provided at senior centers or by Meals on Wheels volunteers or staff, help seniors remain independent and healthier, live in their own homes and communities, and stay out of more costly health care settings," the members wrote.  "Meals on Wheels and congregate nutrition programs are proven, effective and are exactly the type of investment taxpayers are looking for us to make with their hard-earned dollars.  We urge you to support strong funding for Meals on Wheels and Senior Nutrition Programs in the FY2014 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill."

"What a tremendous show of bipartisan leadership and support at a critical time for millions of hungry seniors," commented Ellie Hollander, President and CEO, of the Meals On Wheels Association of America. "It is clear that the message has been resoundingly heard:  Meals on Wheels programs make a social and economic difference, offering taxpayers a significant return on investment."

National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs Board President Paul Downey of Senior Community Centers in San Diego called it "an important message to the House that these proven and effective nutrition programs need to be spared from further cuts which will result in the loss of millions of meals this year" and said that the co-signers were "important champions for older people in their Districts and the nation."

A copy of the letter can be seen here.

Burr (R-NC): "The dumbest idea I've ever heard of"

Coburn (R-OK): "intellectually dishonest"  

McCain (R-AZ): "shenanigans"

Shelby (R-AL): "it's foolish"

Washington DC - When Senator Chuck Grassley sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last week warning that he would block a continuing resolution that would keep the federal government open after September 30 unless Obamacare was defunded, he probably didn't expect a barrage of friendly fire in response from fellow Republicans who have called his threats everything from "terror politics" to "intellectually dishonest" to "really dumb."

Jeremy Funk, Comm. Dir., Americans United for Change: "We get it.  Senator Grassley really, really wants to make it legal again for insurance companies to deny care to kids born with a 'pre-existing condition', drop people when they get seriously sick, and charge women more than men for premiums -- so much so that he is willing to shut down the government and disrupt services for millions unless he gets his way.  But Grassley's latest attempt to strip away Obamacare's new consumer protections that are already working to lower premiums is so beyond the pale and counterproductive that even many of his Republican colleagues are condemning it."

A Growing Chorus of Republicans Urging Grassley to Release the Political Hostage, Don't Shut Down the Government:

• U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK): "It's a terribly dangerous and not successful strategy. You're going to set an expectation among the conservatives in our party that we can achieve something that we're not able to achieve. It's not an achievable strategy. It's creating the false impression that you can do something when you can't. It's a denial of reality mixed with a whole bunch of hype to promote groups and individuals who are saying, 'I'm going to give you hope' for something that we can't do," Coburn said. "The underlying premise is intellectually dishonest. ... Creating false expectations and being less than honest about how you're going to do this is the worst of politics." [Washington Examiner, 7/29]
• U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC): "No, I think it's the dumbest idea I've ever heard of... Listen, so long as Barack Obama's president, the Affordable Care is gonna be law... I think some of these guys need to understand that, you shut down the government, you better have a specific reason to do it that's achievable. Defunding the Affordable Care Act is not achievable by shutting down the federal government. At some point, you're gonna open the federal government back up, and Barack Obama's gonna be president, and he won't have signed the dissolution of the Affordable Care Act." [Think Progress, 7/29]
• U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Deputy Majority Whip:  Condemned the idea as "the political equivalent of throwing a temper tantrum" and accused Senate Republicans of "blackmail."  Cole: "Shutting down the government is a suicidal political tactic. Eventually it will be reopened, but the president will not have capitulated and you will have discredited yourself and along the way you will have hurt the American people," Cole (R-Okla.) said Monday on MSNBC's "Now with Alex Wagner." // "The only way Republicans will lose the House is to shut down the government or default on the debt," the Oklahoma Republican told Politico. "Shutting down the government is not in the best interests of the American people and it makes you look politically irresponsible." "I'm not inclined to jeopardize the crown jewel, and the House of Representatives is the crown jewel in this election cycle." [Newsmax, July 26; Twitter, 7/24; Politico, July 29]
• John McCain (R-AZ): Obamacare repeal is "not going to happen" and that the American people would not stand for political "shenanigans" that tie a government shutdown or a hike in the debt ceiling to the health law. [Washington Post, 7/22]
• U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-NY): "There's no reason to be threatening to bring down the government, let's make this work get spending cuts we need but the American people get turned off with the threat of terror politics." [Political Wire, July 28]
• U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL): "it's foolish" not to fund the government. [Huffington Post, 7/26]

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