Governor Quinn Takes Bill Action **Monday, January 12, 2015**
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bill:
Bill No.: SB 3028
An Act Concerning: Regulation
Clarifies certain provisions of the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
###Governor Pat Quinn Takes Clemency Action
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today granted 43 and denied 119 clemency petitions. As part of today's final grants, Governor Quinn granted four immediate commutations, reduced the sentences of two other petitioners and granted his second pardon based on innocence.
The 162 clemency petitions acted upon today by Governor Quinn are part of dockets dating back to 2003. Each person granted clemency has recently undergone a criminal background check through the Illinois State Police's Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS).
A granted clemency request for a pardon with expungement allows the petitioner to seek expungement of their conviction through the court system.
Since taking office, Governor Quinn acted on 4,928 clemency petitions - more than any other Illinois governor. Governor Quinn has granted 1,795 and denied 3,133 petitions during his governorship.
For additional information on the granted clemency cases, please contact Ken Tupy at the Prisoner Review Board at (217) 782-1610 or Ken.Tupy@illinois.gov.
###Governor Quinn Vetoes Bobcat Hunting Bill
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today vetoed House Bill 4226, which would have allowed bobcat hunting in Illinois. The Governor issued the following statement:
"We all have a responsibility to protect and maintain Illinois' wildlife. Allowing people to hunt bobcats in Illinois violates that responsibility.
"Habitat loss and trophy hunting put bobcats on the threatened species list in 1977, and it was only recently that the bobcat population recovered enough to be removed from this list.
"Today I veto this bill because bobcats are a valuable part of Illinois' ecosystem and continue to need protection."
###Governor Pat Quinn Takes Clemency Action
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today granted 232 and denied 262 clemency petitions. As part of today's grants, Governor Quinn issued his first pardon based on innocence. After inheriting more than 2,500 cases that built up during the previous administration, the Governor continues to make significant progress acting on clemencies.
The 494 clemency petitions acted upon today by Governor Quinn are part of dockets dating back to 2003. Each person granted clemency has recently undergone a criminal background check through the Illinois State Police's Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS).
A granted clemency request for a pardon with expungement allows the petitioner to seek expungement of their conviction through the court system.
Since taking office, Governor Quinn has acted on 4,766 clemency petitions - more than any other Illinois governor. Governor Quinn has granted 1,752 and denied 3,014 petitions during his governorship.
For additional information on the granted clemency cases, please contact Ken Tupy at the Prisoner Review Board at (217) 782-1610 or Ken.Tupy@illinois.gov.
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Governor Quinn Takes Bill Action **Friday, January 9, 2015**
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bills:
Bill No.: HB 1022
An Act Concerning: State Government
Creates the Task Force on Sustainable Transportation Funding.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: HB 4530
An Act Concerning: Local Government
Provides Tax Increment Financing extensions for the Village of Lake Fox, the City of Fairfield and the City of Mt. Sterling.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: HB 4899
An Act Concerning: State Government
Authorizes the transfer of the Sangamon Valley Bike Trail to Sangamon County.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: HB 5537
An Act Concerning: Education
Clarifies the Illinois State Board of Education's power to intervene in certain school districts and identifies interventional processes for deficient school districts.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: HB 5878
An Act Concerning: Local Government
Updates the small purchase procurement threshold for Pace, RTA, CTA, Metra and downstate transit systems.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: HB 6291
An Act Concerning: Local Government
Provides a Tax Increment Financing extension for the City of Batavia.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: SB 726
An Act Concerning: Liquor
Provides an exemption to the rule prohibiting liquor license for an establishment within 100 feet of a church.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: SB 1431
An Act Concerning: Local Government
Provides a Tax Increment Financing district extension for the Village of Lake Zurich.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: SB 1680
An Act Concerning: Local Government
Allows loans obtained under a low interest home improvement loan program to be used for necessary repairs after flooding.
Action: Signed
Effective: June 1, 2015
Bill No.: SB 1842
An Act Concerning: Transportation
Provides a procedure for the discontinuation of a specific type of mass transit district.
Action: Signed
Effective: June 1, 2015
Bill No.: SB 2677
An Act Concerning: Revenue
Allows counties to receive reimbursement for improvements to property and mobile homes made in the interest of public safety and welfare.
Action: Signed
Effective: June 1, 2015
Bill No.: SB 2915
An Act Concerning: State Government
Requires the Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Illinois Attorney General to share information to enforce the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: SB 2933
An Act Concerning: Public Employee Benefits
Authorizes the creation of a health reimbursement arrangement to allow retirees and former employees of the CTA to access their contributions to the Retiree Healthcare Trust.
Action: Signed
Effective: June 1, 2015
Bill No.: SB 2979
An Act Concerning: Regulation
Establishes requirements for certain travel insurance business entity licenses and sets forth the criteria for the selling and dissemination of information on travel insurance.
Action: Signed
Effective: June 1, 2015
Bill No.: SB 3171
An Act Concerning: Public Aid
Amends certain provisions regarding payments for bed reserves in nursing and specialized mental health rehabilitation facilities.
Action: Signed
Effective: June 1, 2015
Bill No.: SB 3265
An Act Concerning: Local Government
Clarifies which 9-1-1 systems are eligible for additional funding provided by Public Act 98-634.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
Bill No.: SB 3341
An Act Concerning: Local Government
Addresses a stacking issue between referendum and non-referendum bonds when calculating the McHenry County Conservation District's debt limit.
Action: Signed.
Effective: June 1, 2015
Bill No.: SB 3366
An Act Concerning: Regulation
Codifies practices for computing the retaliatory tax for insurers.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
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Governor Quinn Announces $400 Million in Affordable Care Act Funding to Support Illinois Hospitals; Governor Also Issues Executive Orders to Prevent Pregnancy Discrimination and Ensure Implementation of Affordable Care Act
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today announced $400 million in federal Affordable Care Act funding for hospitals across Illinois. The Governor traveled to Washington D.C. last month to personally advocate for the funding, which will help cover the cost of healthcare for more than 500,000 people. In addition, the Governor today issued two executive orders that fight pregnancy discrimination and ensure the state continues to enroll individuals in the healthcare marketplace.
Today's announcements are part of Governor Quinn's agenda to ensure that all people have access to quality healthcare and improve the health and well-being of the people of Illinois.
"These new federal funds will help hospitals across Illinois as they provide critically-needed care for the more than half a million people who are now covered by the Affordable Care Act," Governor Quinn said. "I am also signing two executive orders today that will protect pregnant women in the workplace and ensure Illinois continues its work to enroll people in the Affordable Care Act."
"We thank the Obama Administration and our federal counterparts for bringing the negotiations that made these payments possible to a favorable conclusion," Illinois Department of Healthcare and Families Services (HFS) Director Julie Hamos said. "We are very excited for our partners in the hospital community. HFS expects payments to begin in mid-February, with initial payments to include retroactive amounts due."
The funding was the direct result of bipartisan passage of Senate Bill 741, which Governor Quinn signed into law earlier this year. The agreement with federal healthcare officials allows HFS to increase hospital inpatient and outpatient supplemental payments by $400 million in the current fiscal year to recognize new hospital volume for beneficiaries newly enrolled under the ACA.
Illinois has enrolled more than 800,000 people in healthcare coverage as a result of the ACA through the efforts of Get Covered Illinois. To date, more than 536,000 people have enrolled in the expanded Medicaid program under the ACA. An additional 217,000 people were enrolled in the first year of the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace. With enrollment for year two of the Marketplace now underway, more than 121,000 people have enrolled or re-enrolled in a healthcare plan in the first month of enrollment through December 15.
In addition, the Governor today issued an executive order to ensure that the state fully complies with the landmark pregnancy discrimination law he proposed, passed and signed into law last year. The order requires state agencies to conduct a comprehensive review within 30 days to determine if their internal policies fully comply with the new law. If any problems are found, the policies are required to be rewritten within 60 days.
The Governor also issued an executive order to ensure that the state continues enrollment in the federally-facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The order requires data be issued weekly to a public website to reflect progress by the state in the enrollment process. The order also requires the HFS to distribute a robust plan to promote enrollment in the ACA and Medicaid coverage, especially focusing on people of low-income and people with disabilities.
Governor Quinn Signs Legislation to Strengthen Democracy; Bills Expand Early Voting, Make Same-Day Registration Permanent and Set Special Election to Fill Comptroller Position in 2016
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to expand democracy in Illinois and bring it into the 21st century. The new laws make same-day voter registration permanent, expand early voting and set a special election on Nov. 8, 2016 to allow voters to fill the statewide position of Illinois Comptroller. Today's actions are part of Governor Quinn's agenda to increase participation in our democracy and ensure that every voice is heard in Illinois.
"Our democracy works best when everyone has an opportunity to participate," Governor Quinn said "These new laws modernize our election process, make same-day voting permanent and help ensure that the people have the power to choose our statewide officials."
Sponsored by State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) and House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), Senate Bill 172 extends grace period registration through Election Day, allowing voters to register on the day of the election, and expands the number of early voting days and locations. The law will increase opportunities to vote for individuals whose work schedules prevented them from taking advantage of previous voting hours. The law also expands registration and voting opportunities for college students, requiring state universities to offer same-day registration and early voting.
Same-day registration and voting were first implemented as a pilot program during the 2014 General Election and are being made permanent by the new law, which goes into effect June 1, 2015.
The Governor today signed House Bill 4576, sponsored by House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago), to allow voters the opportunity to fill statewide positions of Illinois government in the case of a vacancy. The law is the result of the sudden passing of Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka this past December. A special election will give voters the opportunity to choose their Comptroller in the next statewide election on Nov. 8, 2016. The law excludes the statewide offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor and takes effect immediately.
Governor Quinn has long been a champion of expanding voting rights and opportunities. In 2013, Governor Quinn increased access to democracy across Illinois by giving 17-year-olds the ability to vote in primary elections if they are 18 years old by the general election date. Governor Quinn advocated for and signed legislation allowing Illinois residents to register to vote online, a policy originally proposed in the Governor's 2013 State of the State Address. In 2011, Governor Quinn signed the state's first voting rights act. The Illinois Voting Rights Act of 2011 protects the voting rights of racial and language minority communities throughout Illinois and encourages public participation in the redistricting process.
Throughout his life, the Governor has worked to harness the power of everyday people to create change. In 1976 he led the largest petition drive in state history, ending the century-old practice of allowing Illinois legislators to collect their entire salary on their first day in office. In 1980, he organized the Cutback Amendment to reduce the size of the Illinois General Assembly ? the first and only Illinois constitutional amendment ever adopted by citizen initiative. He helped launch the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) in 1984 to protect citizens from unfair utility rates, saving more than $10 billion dollars for everyday people.
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