Helmets to Hardhats Trains Veterans for Good-Paying Jobs

August 20, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today visited Rend Lake College (RLC) to highlight the importance of job training and opportunities for Veterans through the Helmets to Hardhats program. Twelve Illinois Veterans began training through the program at RLC last month to gain the skills necessary to pursue careers in the construction industry.

"It is our responsibility to make sure that the servicemen and servicewomen who have answered the call to duty have the opportunity to come home to a good job," Governor Quinn said. "Thanks to the Helmets to Hardhats program and training at schools like Rend Lake College, our Veterans are getting the training they need to transition into good-paying jobs."

Helmets to Hardhats is a national initiative which connects National Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty military service members with high-quality construction industry training and employment opportunities. The program, administered by the Center for Military Recruitment, Assessment and Veterans Employment, seeks to ease the challenging transition to civilian life for servicemembers and their families.

"Rend Lake College is very proud to be a Helmets to Hardhats site, and we look forward to continuing our work with the Plumbers and Pipefitters local and Governor Quinn's office," said RLC President Charley Holstein. "It's a great program. It allows these soldiers who have gone and served their country to come back and have an opportunity to get some accelerated training to get out in the workforce."

The Pipefitters Local 551 of West Frankfort and the Pipefitters Local 651 of Centralia are involved in RLC's program and are training 12 Veterans. The 16 weeks of training conclude with each Veteran's assignment to an area union as a second-year apprentice.

"We were able to put this program together after reaching out to Governor Quinn," said Thomas Caliper, business manager for UA Local 551 in West Frankfort. "We knew we could count on Governor Quinn's support because Veterans are so important to this governor."

Launched in 2003, Helmets to Hardhats is co-sponsored by all 15 building and construction trades organizations and their employer associations, together representing around 82,000 contractors. There are currently 157,755 Helmets to Hardhats candidates registered, all of whom have access to program's Web site. The site currently lists over 80,000 careers for member access.

The Illinois Helmets to Hardhats program is generally recognized as the model for the national Helmets to Hardhats campaign. Much of this success can be attributed to a strong effort from teamster local unions, state agencies and local Veteran support groups.

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As the warm summer days begin to wind down and students prepare to head back to the classroom, back to school shopping isn't the only thing on people's minds.  

This spring, headlines told the story of massive education job losses in states around the country, including right here in Iowa.  These losses would have been devastating, and would have pushed the U.S. education system to fall behind.  

Earlier this year, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified before my Appropriations subcommittee that as many as 300,000 teachers and other educators would be laid off during the school year that begins this month.  

Well-educated Americans are the single most important factor in maintaining our productivity and global leadership, to creating and keeping good jobs in our country, and in preparing our children to contribute to their communities and our nation at their full potential.  To ensure our future success, we must do everything we can to provide our children with the best education possible.

I have been fighting a sometimes lonely battle to provide new assistance to states in order to prevent a significant loss of public school teachers and other critical school personnel.  But finally, earlier this month, that battle was finally won and the Senate passed the "teacher jobs" bill.

Thanks to this legislation, we can prevent the lion's share of further job losses and I hope that many of those laid-off teachers can be brought back into the classroom.  This bill will provide an estimated $96 million for Iowa and save approximately 1,800 jobs in our state alone.  And on top of that, this bill is paid for and reduces the federal deficit.

With this teacher jobs bill, we are setting tough priorities in a very difficult budget environment.  We are saying that it is our priority to keep teachers in the classroom, and to prevent the derailment of important reform efforts in our schools.  Quite simply, we can't improve our Iowa public schools if we are laying off teachers, raising class sizes, slashing programs and cutting instruction time.  

We still have a long way to go, and must continue to work to ensure that America stays competitive in the global economy and has the best education system in the world, but this teacher jobs bill is a great victory for our children and an important step for our public schools.

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Encourages Residents Who Have Been Denied Health Insurance to Apply Online or Over the Phone

CHICAGO - August 19, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that enrollment for the Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (IPXP) will begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Aug. 20. The federally-funded plan will provide coverage for thousands of Illinois residents who have been denied health coverage due to preexisting conditions. Residents can apply online at Insurance.Illinois.gov/IPXP and over the phone at (877) 210-9167. Coverage through the plan will begin Sept. 1.

"I encourage everyone to go out tonight and talk to their families, friends and neighbors who may have a pre-existing medical condition and make sure they call or go online to apply for this important program," said Governor Quinn. "The Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan will give uninsured residents throughout Illinois the health care they need."

The federal health reform law, known as the Affordable Care Act, prohibits insurers from basing coverage or pricing decisions on a person's health status starting Jan. 1, 2014.

To provide transitional coverage until 2014 for people who are currently uninsured with pre-existing conditions, the Affordable Care Act appropriates $5 billion to fund temporary high-risk pools in every state. Illinois' share is an estimated $196 million which, in addition to premiums paid by enrollees, will be used to operate the IPXP. The federal government will pay claims and administrative expenses. The program will incur no expense to the state and will cover approximately 5,000 uninsured Illinoisans.

The plan will provide enrollees with comprehensive health care benefits, including primary and specialty care, hospital care and prescription drugs. The plan will offer a preferred provider organization (PPO) insurance product with a $2,000 annual deductible, 80/20 percent cost sharing, and a maximum major medical out-of-pocket annual cost of $2,350. For prescription benefits, the cost sharing will also be 80/20 percent and the maximum out-of-pocket cost will be $1,600 per year.

"The Affordable Care Act's protection from discrimination based on health status cannot come soon enough for individuals and families who have been denied coverage," said Michael T. McRaith, Director of the Illinois Department of Insurance. "The transitional coverage provided by the federally-funded IPXP is an important step as we move toward an Illinois health insurance marketplace with improved performance, accountability and transparency."

Hard copies of the IPXP application will also be available at the Department of Insurance offices in Chicago and Springfield. For more information visit Insurance.Illinois.gov/IPXP or call (877) 210-9167.

A study conducted last year showed that medical bills are a leading cause of personal bankruptcy, linked to more than 60 percent of bankruptcies.

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Project will Bring 70 New Jobs, Spur Future Economic Growth and Boost Illinois' Manufacturing Industry

MASCOUTAH - August 19, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Illinois is providing a $2.3 million business investment package to assist Boeing with its plans to locate a new facility at MidAmerica Airport in St. Clair County. The state's investment will leverage a $7 million Boeing investment and is expected to bring 70 new jobs to the Metro East region, with the potential to create more jobs over the next few years. It will also boost manufacturing and spur economic growth throughout the state.

"Our top priority is to get people back to work and continue our economic recovery," said Governor Quinn. "This investment is bringing dozens of good-paying, sustainable jobs to the region, boosting Illinois' manufacturing industry and helping MidAmerica Airport reach its full potential. I want to thank Boeing for continuing to invest in the people of Illinois."

The state's investment package will support Phase I of a potential three-phase project by Boeing to expand its Defense, Space and Security Group operations and create a Strategic Manufacturing Center at MidAmerica Airport. The center will serve as the lead facility for manufacturing complex sub assemblies for Boeing products and will be the company's first manufacturing facility in the state of Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will administer the state's business investment package consisting of Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) corporate income tax credits, which are based on job creation; job training funds; and local benefits from being located within an enterprise zone.

"Our partnership with Boeing reinforces that Illinois has a quality workforce and the right resources to help any company succeed," said DCEO Director Warren Ribley. "This is a great example of how - through our collaborative efforts - we are creating jobs, expanding our economy and helping Illinois businesses grow."

Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial airplanes and defense, space and security systems. The company is headquartered in Chicago with 158,000 employees in more than 70 countries.

In 2010, Illinois' manufacturing sector has added more than 12,000 jobs, which is a higher growth rate than the national average.

Governor Quinn was joined at the event today by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL), Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL), State Rep. Tom Holbrook (D-Belleville), State Rep. Dan Beiser (D-Alton), State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Collinsville), President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security Dennis Muilenburg, and other civic and business leaders.

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