Group of Budget Experts Will Recommend Steps to Implement Budgeting for Results; Bring Greater Accountability and Transparency to Budget Process  

CHICAGO - August 22, 2011. In a key step in reforming the state's budget process, a commission named by Governor Quinn held its first meeting Friday in Chicago to help guide the implementation of Budgeting for Results. Enacted last year by the General Assembly, Budgeting for Results (BFR) is a tool to help government agencies set priorities, meet goals, deliver excellent services and achieve the best value possible to taxpayers.  

"Budgeting for Results represents a major step toward smarter, more transparent government and greater accountability across all agencies," Governor Quinn said. "This commission will help Illinois deliver essential services in the most efficient, effective way possible, and ensure that taxpayers are getting the results from government they expect and deserve."  

Private business has long employed a similar management model to improve performance through clearly defining and aligning objectives across organizations. Rather than setting budgets for each agency separately and based on historical funding levels, BFR allocates scarce resources based on government-wide goals. BFR calls on every agency of government to make the case for its budget each year measured in terms of its success delivering results and value to the people of Illinois. The budgeting shift will encourage innovation and performance among agencies, and allow taxpayers to see the true impact of their tax dollars.   

For the fiscal year 2012 budget, the first year of BFR, agencies and departments were required to justify budget requests based on results achieved in the following priority areas set by the Governor:  

 1.     Quality education and opportunities for growth and learning for all Illinois students;  

 2.     Enhanced economic well-Being of citizens;  

 3.     Protection of citizens' lives and property;  

 4.     Protection of the most vulnerable of our citizens;  

 5.     Improved quality of life of citizens; and  

 6.     Improved efficiency and stability of state government.  

The commission will make recommendations on the Governor's priority areas and proposed outcomes, propose a percentage of the overall budget to be assigned to each results area, and review current spending mandates.

The commission is composed of Illinois legislators, executive staff, outside experts and stakeholders. Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) serves as chairman of the commission and was co-sponsor of legislation enabling Budgeting for Results.

"I am honored to be appointed chairman of the Budgeting for Results commission," Sen. Kotowski said. "This bipartisan commission will implement a framework to cut, eliminate, reform and fund agencies and programs based on performance, not politics and self-interest. Illinois families live by these principles every day and now the state government will as well."

The other commission members are:

Hon. Sheila Simon, Lieutenant Governor;

State Senator Tony Munoz (D - Chicago);

State Senator Pam Althoff (R - Crystal Lake);

State Representative Will Davis (D - Hazel Crest);

State Representative Kent Gaffney (R - Lake Barrington);

Hon. Will Burns, Alderman, City of Chicago;

John Bouman, President, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law;

Carole Brown, Managing Director, Barclays Capital;

Larry Joseph, Director, Budget and Tax Policy, Voices for Illinois Children;

Jim Lewis, Senior Program Officer, Chicago Community Trust;

Lyle Logan, Vice President, Northern Trust Bank;

Dr. Roger Myerson, Glen A. Lloyd Professor of Economics, University of Chicago;

Maria de Jesus Prado, President, Prado & Renteria;

Alex Rorke, Co-chair, Illinois Economic Recovery Commission;

Jose Sanchez, CEO and President, Norwegian American Hospital;

Steve Schnorf, Budget Consultant;

Kevin Semlow, Director of Legislative Affairs, Illinois Farm Bureau and;

Donna Sims Wilson, Executive Vice President, Castleoak Securities.

"It is a privilege to serve the state of Illinois on the new Budgeting for Results Commission," Roger Myerson, Noble Prize winning economist said. "This commission reflects a broad commitment by Governor Quinn and the legislature to improve the process by which this state makes tough fiscal choices. We will work to develop better measurements of government performance and budgetary transparency."

"The appointed Commissioners are a good cross-section of private and public sector individuals," Rep. Kent Gaffney (R-Lake Barrington) said. "The task ahead will become more difficult as we work towards a plan to allocate scarce state funds in a manner that will improve the business climate and overall economic situation of our state, while also improving the quality of life for Illinoisans."

Appointees from the Governor's executive staff are Cristal Thomas, Deputy Governor, and John Kamis, Senior Advisor to the Governor.

The commission will issue a report the Governor and the General Assembly by Nov. 1 each year, starting in 2011.

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Hammond-Henry Hospital to hold open house for South Services Building

Geneseo, IL - A milestone event will take place on Sunday, August 28th for Hammond-Henry Hospital in Geneseo, IL. From 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. an open house will be held to commemorate the end of construction on the new South Services Building located at 600 N. College Avenue in Geneseo, IL. Press is invited to attend and encouraged to enter the hospital through the south entrance on College Avenue.

The South Services Building includes new locations for the clinical pharmacy, social services, home health services, material management, maintenance and IT areas. The second floor of the facility features areas for physical rehabilitation services such as physical therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, occupational therapy and speech therapy. This includes a state-of-the-art aquatic therapy pool, complete with treadmill, underwater observation cameras and a virtual lift. The rehabilitation suite also includes a rooftop therapy area.

The South Services Building is the second completed phase of the larger 73,000 s.f. Designed to be Patient Kind addition/renovation project that is currently taking place at Hammond-Henry Hospital. Construction on this phase began in August 2010. The remainder of the Patient Kind project phases, which includes demolition and renovation of the existing hospital, will be completed by October 2012.

"This is a big step in the project for us," stated Brad Solberg, CEO of Hammond-Henry Hospital. "The design of this building goes a long way in meeting the needs of our patients, visitors and staff."

Hammond-Henry Hospital was established in 1901, utilizing approximately 62 acute and long-term care beds and serves nearly 20,000 residents in the Geneseo, IL area. For more information on Hammond-Henry Hospital, please visit their website at www.hammondhenry.com.

Russell Construction, located in Davenport, IA, is serving as the Design/Builder and General Contractor on this new addition project. Shive-Hattery, located in Moline, IL is providing architect and engineering services. The Patient Kind Addition is the third project that Russell Construction has completed for Hammond-Henry Hospital since 2004. Previously, Russell constructed a 34,000 s.f. addition and renovation to their existing hospital in Geneseo, IL and a 3,500 s.f. medical office building in Colona, IL. For more information on Russell Construction, please visit their website at www.russellco.com.

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MOLINE, Ill. - Share Quad Cities - an organization offering healing for those touched by the loss of a baby through pregnancy loss, still birth or in the first few months of life - will hold its Second Annual Walk for Remembrance & Hope on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Registrations are due Sept. 5. The event will be held at Prospect Park, 16^th Street and 30^th Avenue, Moline. Proceeds from this event allow the organization to continue to support families at no charge.

"This walk is such a wonderful event," said Kara Warren, Share Quad Cities member. "I love being able to celebrate the life of my baby, however short it may have been, with others who truly understand exactly what I am going through. It is so nice to have such loving support."

Check-in begins at 9 a.m. The memorial begins at 10 a.m. Names of babies lost will be read and flower petals will be floated in the lagoon, followed by a walk with music.

The $20 registration fee includes a T-shirt with baby's name, memorial program and flower to float. A $10 adult registration or $8 child registration includes a T-shirt and flower petals to float. Also, consider creating a poem, letter, message to baby or a hopeful message to other bereaved parents. Don't want a T-shirt or memorial program? Just come and walk with us.

For a registration form, visit www.shareqc.com, or email Chalyn Fornero-Green at chalyn@shareqc.com. Registration fees and donations can be sent to Share Quad Cities, PO BOX 188, Rapids City, IL 61278.

About Share Quad Cities

Share Quad Cities provides support for grief experienced at the time of, or following, the death of a baby. This support encompasses emotional, physical, spiritual and social healing, as well as sustaining the family unit. Share Quad Cities meets the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the lower level of the Genesis Heart Institute, Adler Room No. 1, 1236 East Rusholme St., Davenport.