February 1, 2012

Beginning in 2012 the Circuit Clerk's Office is working to develop a program to assist individuals with delinquent accounts from being referred to collections.

We have kicked off a collection program for the Felony department modeled after our Traffic department that we successfully began in March of 2011. For our initial mailing we sent out 1500 notices on January 3rd 2012, as a result of the January 20th, 2012, court date we have generated over $60,000 for that one court call. We've had over 340 cases that either paid up to date or in full. Close to 300 people appeared in court and we have approximately 1000 cases to be sent to collections.

In the month of January we have generated over $100,000 in revenue beyond what we brought in the month of November 2011, as a result of the new collection process. We normally bring in approximately $700,000 thru our office monthly.

Since initiating our Collections program in 2011, we are bringing in an additional $50,000 a month prior to sending to collection agency. We began a Payment Hearing Officer program over 10 years ago; this program has been modeled after other counties in the state to assist individuals in setting up payment plans for fines and costs owed to the County. We make every attempt to work with individuals prior to their case being sent to a collection agency. The collection company we are working with is Harris and Harris in Illinois and their website is www.pay-harris-law-firm.com.

Lisa L. Bierman, Clerk of Court Rock Island County, Illinois can be reached at 309-558-3312 or www.rockislandcounty.org.

State's Support Helping to Create 1,800 Jobs

BELVIDERE - February 2, 2012. One day after laying out the Illinois Jobs Agenda for 2012 in his State of the State address, Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Chrysler Group LLC is ramping up production at its Belvidere plant to help build its next generation of vehicles. The company has invested $700 million to retool the plant and will begin production of the new Dodge Dart in the second quarter of 2012. In fall 2010, Governor Quinn announced a business investment package for the company that is supporting the creation of up to 1,800 new jobs and has been instrumental to Chrysler's decision to expand in Illinois.

"The auto industry is essential to growing our economy. Illinois automakers and their suppliers are thriving today because we have helped meet their needs," Governor Quinn said. "By providing companies like Chrysler with the tools they need, we're helping them not only succeed but thrive."

As part of its investment, Chrysler opened a 638,000 square-foot body shop to support production of the Dart, in addition to installing new machinery, tooling and material handling equipment. The new body shop increased the size of the Belvidere assembly plant to 4.8 million square feet. The plant also includes a 330,000-square-foot stamping plant. The Belvidere facility currently produces the Jeep® Compass and Jeep Patriot.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is administering the state's business investment package. The package consists of EDGE tax credits, Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP) job-training funds that will help enhance the skills of the company's workforce, and Large Business Development Program funds for capital improvements. Chrysler will also benefit from being located in an Enterprise Zone.

"The Rock River Valley has emerged as a strong leader in the transportation industry, and Chrysler has undoubtedly played a major role in building that reputation," said DCEO Director Warren Ribley. "Today we're pleased to stand beside them as they chart a course towards the future that includes their continued commitment to Illinois."

Illinois added more than 52,000 jobs in 2011, and has added nearly 100,000 jobs since 2010. Since January 2010, Illinois has added almost 20,000 manufacturing jobs.

For more information on why Illinois is the right place for any business, visit www.illinoisbiz.biz.

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The Quad City Symphony Orchestra is hosting a Valentine's Day Gala on Saturday, February 11, at the hip and historic Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport. This black-tie optional event begins at 4:30 PM with hosted beer and wine, delicious appetizers, and a live jazz trio, followed by a latin-infused gourmet dinner in the luxuriant Gold Room.

The $125 reservation includes tickets to the QCSO's Valentine's Day concert down the hall in the Adler Theatre featuring romantic favorites including Scheherazade, Bolero, and the Concierto de Aranjuez with guitarist Robert Belinic.

After the concert you are welcomed back to the Gold Room where you can dance the night away to the sultry sounds of the Candymakers and savor an assortment of delectable desserts.

Silent auction items include an all-expense paid, three-night trip for two to Riviera Maya, Mexico; an authentic Italian dinner for 10 prepared by QCSO Music Director Mark Russell Smith; a $5,000 diamond pendant courtesy of Holland Jewelers, and more....

Click here to make your reservations or call 563.322.QCSO.

Overnight accommodations at the Hotel Blackhawk are available at an exclusive QCSO rate; call 563.322.5000 to find out more.

All funds raised at the Valentine's Day Gala support the many cultural and educational endeavors of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley has asked the Food and Drug Administration to account for its treatment of a group of agency scientists who questioned approvals of medical devices in communications with Congress and the White House.  The FDA appears to have punished the employees for expressing safety concerns about radiological devices used to detect diseases such as breast cancer and colon cancer.

"The FDA has a poor track record of retaliating against whistleblowers.  This situation appears to be more of the same," Grassley said.  "Federal law explicitly protects the right of federal employees to provide information to Congress.  I reminded the FDA of the relevant law in January 2009 after this came to my attention.  Still, even after that letter, the FDA appears to have persisted in a long campaign to punish a group of employees for talking to Congress.   I'm pursuing this matter with the FDA to get answers and ensure that whistleblowers aren't singled out and retaliated against for protected disclosures to Congress."

Grassley wrote to FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, asking for a description of whether each of the staff members involved still works at the agency and if not, for an explanation of the circumstances of the employee's departure.  Grassley also sought details of who authorized the monitoring of the employees' e-mail and to what extent such monitoring occurred.  The agency engaged in extensive monitoring of the employees' email accounts, apparently to try to justify its case for retaliation.

Grassley also reminded Hamburg that any retaliation against whistleblowers "directly contradicts" her promise during her 2009 confirmation hearing that she would protect whistleblowers by "creating a culture that enables all voices to be heard."

"The FDA has a huge responsibility to protect public health and safety," Grassley said.  "With all the important work that needs to be done on that front, it's hard to see how managers apparently thought it was a good use of time to shadow agency scientists and monitor their email accounts for legally protected communications with Congress."

Grassley also sought answers from Hamburg on what the agency is doing in light of the retaliation inquiry to reassure employees of their right to provide information to Congress.

"Without federal whistleblowers, I wouldn't be able to perform my constitutional oversight of the executive branch," Grassley said.  "Whistleblowers come forward to shed light on matters that affect public safety or the public purse.  They expose incompetence and malfeasance and promote reform that leads to better government.  Their perspective has done a lot of good.  I've seen this kind of behavior from the FDA before, and it's troubling to think there might be a pattern.  The FDA needs to make an immediate effort to reassure employees of their freedom to talk to Congress.  Muzzling is inappropriate and illegal.  Retaliation of this kind is intolerable by any federal government agency."

Grassley, a long-time advocate for whistleblowers, works to strengthen whistleblower protections for all government employees.  Certain employees, including members of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps within the Department of Health and Human Services, are not covered under the Whistleblower Protection Act, which leaves employees vulnerable to retaliation.  This is a loophole in current law that needs to be closed.  Grassley is actively working to ensure that employees of the commissioned corps are given necessary whistleblower protections.

Grassley's letter to the FDA is available here.  His 2009 letter to the FDA is available here.  Washington Post articles on the matter are available here and here.

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