29 Jun 2015

Local Families Join Smiddy to Show Steep Cost of Rauner Budget in Moline, Sterling

By Paul Ferrero

PORT BYRON, Ill. - Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget plan would take a steep toll on middle-class families, the elderly, and sick and disabled residents said local families who joined with state Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, to urge a more balanced solution to the state's budget challenges.

"The state budget isn't about numbers on paper, it's about middle-class families, the elderly and people who deserve a hand when facing some of life's most difficult obstacles like illness and disability," Smiddy said. "A budget that denies them the care they need and the services they depend on simply costs too much."

Rauner has proposed cutting the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program by nearly $10 million. An estimated 27,000 women rely on the program every year to access free mammograms and cervical cancer screenings, but the governor's cut would keep an estimated 14,000 women from accessing this life-saving care. The governor's proposal also slashes more than $1 million in funding for CGH Medical Center in Sterling and Morrison Community Hospital, which the Illinois Hospital Association warns will cost the area more than $2.7 million in economic activity and eliminate local 20 jobs.

"As the husband of a breast cancer survivor, it is appalling to me that the governor would use funding for cancer detection and treatment as leverage in his political game," Smiddy said. "My wife and I were very fortunate that she was diagnosed early and received the necessary treatment. Across our state, too many women do not have that same access to care. We need to make sure Illinois stands behind them and do what it takes to provide them with the treatment they need."

Rauner has also called for the suspension of funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps over 8,000 area residents cover the costs of home heating every winter, and has proposed severe reductions to agricultural education, and programs that serve families of children with autism. Policy changes backed by the governor would make it harder for seniors to receive in-home care, forcing elderly residents to seek out more costly nursing home care.

Smiddy joined with Rock Island and Whiteside County families in Sterling and Moline to urge a more balanced approach that makes responsible spending cuts while protecting critical services for middle-class families, the elderly and those in great need.

"Balancing the budget on their backs of families that are already struggling to make ends meet won't make Illinois more competitive and it certainly isn't compassionate," Smiddy said. "These men and women work hard to provide for their families. They didn't create the mess in Springfield. They shouldn't be forced to pay for it."

26 Jun 2015

JOB FAIRS AT BOTH NORTHPARK AND SOUTHPARK MALLS

By Aleshia Chiesa
WHO: It's the perfect season for job hunting, so get your resumes ready and prepare for your

WHAT: The HNI Corporation and Kwik Star have teamed up with NorthPark Mall to host job fairs

WHEN: HNI Job Fair @ NorthPark

WHERE: At SouthPark Mall, in Younkers court.

NorthPark and SouthPark host Job Fairs in June and July!

dream job. NorthPark and SouthPark Malls will host jobs fairs with the HNI Corporation,

Kwik Star and retailers this summer.   

in June and July. Bring your resume and plan for on-site interviews with these two

national companies. Plus, both NorthPark and SouthPark retailers will host job fairs in

July.

For more information on great events, visit www.shopsouthparkmall-il.com/events or

www.north-park-mall-ia.com/events follow us on Twitter @NorthParkMallIA or

@SouthParkMallIL and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SouthParkMallIL or

/NorthParkMallIA.

Friday, June 26, 2015

3:00PM-7:00PM

Kwik Star Job Fair @ NorthPark

Saturday, June 27, 2015 Sunday, June 28, 2015

10:00AM-4:00PM 12:00PM-6:00PM

Kwik Star Job Fair @ NorthPark

Saturday, July 11, 2015 Sunday, July 12, 2015

10:00AM-4:00PM 12:00PM-6:00PM

Retailer Job Fair @ SouthPark

Friday, July 24, 2015

3:00PM-5:00PM

Retailer Job Fair @ NorthPark

Friday, July 31, 2015

3:00PM-5:00PM

At NorthPark Mall, in Younkers court.
24 Jun 2015

Trade Promotion Authority vote in House of Representatives

By Nicholas Depew

The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 218-208 in favor of Trade Promotion Authority, the process seen as necessary for entering new trade agreements, including the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership.  The vote sends the proposal back to the Senate for consideration.  Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on the vote.

"A Des Moines Register editorial said, 'The value of open markets is well understood in Iowa.'  What's less understood to all of us who support free trade and the good-paying jobs that exports make possible is the opposition to a process.  Trade Promotion Authority is only a process.  It leaves the decision on whether to vote up or down on any trade agreement to Congress.  If we don't like a trade agreement, we don't have to vote for it.  It's as simple as that.  I'm looking forward to voting in favor of Trade Promotion Authority again."
24 Jun 2015

Loebsack Praises DOL Funding to Assist Workers Displaced by Bird Flu Outbreak

By Joe Hand

$5.25 million grant will implement Sector Partnerships for workers displaced due to bird flu outbreak

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today applauded the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for awarding $5,250,000 to the Iowa Workforce Development to implement and expand Sector Partnerships in the state. Today's funding announcement will provide intensive worker-centered services including case management, individual and group skill building, soft-skills training, connection to community resources, and assistance in obtaining training, credentials, and certificates to individuals in rural areas who were displaced from the poultry and egg industry due to Avian Influenza. The funding comes from the DOL's Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant program.

Loebsack has been a long time champion of establishing and expanding Sector Partnerships. Portions of his legislation, the SECTORS Act, passed as a part of the bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that was signed into law last year.

"I am pleased that the Iowa Workforce Development will receive this funding to make an investment in Iowa's greatest resource: its workers. Many parts of rural Iowa have been devastated by the recent Avian Flu outbreak and this emergency funding will help stem some of the losses our workers are facing," said Loebsack.

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24 Jun 2015

Hatch, Grassley Question CMS's Issuance of Tax Credits Under Obamacare

By Rick Martin

 

Report Found Billions Doled Out With No Confirmation for Accuracy

WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today sent a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Andrew Slavitt raising a number questions about how the agency issues the Advanced Premium Tax Credit (APTC) to insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The letter follows a Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) report that found the agency's internal controls could not effectively ensure the accuracy of nearly $2.8 billion in payments made to insurance companies under the health law.

"If these types of results continue it foreshadows a substantial programmatic vulnerability leading to untold billions in fraud, waste and abuse.  We have been concerned about vulnerabilities related to internal controls at CMS due to the ACA - this is yet another in a long line of problems which have occurred since the ACA's initial implementation," the Chairmen wrote.

The full text of the letter is below and a signed copy is available here.
17 Jun 2015

Iowa's AIM Work Force Index Rises for May: But Online Job Openings for Finance Drop by 18%

By Levi Thiele
OMAHA, NE 06/17/2015

May Summary

  • The number of Iowa online job openings for May declined by 1.8 percent from April.
  • Transportation jobs, entry level clerical positions, and insurance jobs recorded the largest percentage gains for May from April.
  • Finance positions, retail jobs and customer service positions suffered the largest percentage losses for May.
  • Iowa's WFI remains the nation's 4th best for May, the same ranking as for April.
  • In absolute numbers, the greatest numbers of online job openings were in sales, followed by management, and then healthcare other than nursing.
  • As a percent of Iowa employment, the largest numbers of online openings were in engineering, followed by finance, and then insurance positions.

 

Iowa WFI.  AIM's May Work Force Index (WFI) improved to 79.0 from April's very healthy and revised 72.5.  The WFI is a statistically based measurement tool produced by AIM, a nonprofit organization in Des Moines, Iowa. The Index is a ratio of unique online job postings and the number of unemployed in Iowa (not seasonally adjusted). The WFI ranges between 0 and 100. A WFI below 50.0 indicates short-term job contraction while an Index above 50.0 indicates job expansion.

Fading and improving areas: The areas showing the greatest percentage improvements in on-line job openings from April to May were: transportation jobs, entry level clerical positions, and insurance jobs.  The areas recording the largest percentage declines from April to May were finance positions, retail jobs and then customer service positions.

On-line openings.  In May, the largest number of online job postings were in: 1) sales, followed by 2) management, and 3) healthcare positions other than nursing jobs.   As a share of state employment, the largest numbers of job openings in descending order were in: 1) engineering, 2) finance, and then 3) insurance positions.

State Rankings. In terms of Work Force Indices among the states for May, Nebraska ranked number one with the highest WFI. Nebraska was followed by North Dakota at number two, Kansas at three, Iowa at four, and Minnesota at five.  The state with the lowest WFI was Alaska, followed by West Virginia at 49, and Maine at 48.  Rounding out the bottom five states were Mississippi at 47 and Louisiana at 46.

About the AIM WorkForce Index
AIM and the Creighton University College of Business produce the AIM WorkForce Index each month to track the relationship between the WFI and the changes in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. This type of information is of value to both the employer and the job applicant as they develop plans and strategies for participation in the local and regional labor market. For more information on previous WFI reports, please visit www.aimforbrilliance.org/wfi.html, http://business.creighton.edu/economicoutlook, or dol.nebraska.gov.

About AIM
AIM is a not-for-profit community organization that promotes technology to empower people, enhance organizations, and create brilliant communities. AIM's signature services include : Careerlink - the region's leading career development website, Infotec - the Midwest's premier business and IT conference, and Hatchfund - a crowdfunding source for artists. For more information about our services - training, youth programs, research and more - visit www.aimforbrilliance.org.
16 Jun 2015

Grassley Seeks Clear Explanation of U.S. Biotech Import Policies

By Grassley Press

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa today is sending a letter to the Food and Drug Administration to gather information and gain a better understanding about how the United States treats biotechnology imports from other countries.

After contacting five different federal agencies and several trade groups to get more information about U.S. policy for biotech imports for food or feed grains, Grassley said that it appears nobody has a grasp on the policy.

Grassley said that as the number of biotech crops continues to rise, it will be even more important that there is a clear U.S. policy in regards to imports of biotech food and grain products, especially as the United States works with its partners around the world on policies to eliminate trade barriers for these products.

In a letter to Food and Drug Administration Acting Commissioner Stephen Ostroff, Grassley wrote, "Biotechnology offers the world great promise, however we must have a predictable, transparent and science based regulatory framework throughout the world to limit economic disruptions from the trade of genetically modified food and grain."

According to a Congressional Research Service report, 420 million acres were planted to biotech crops across the globe in 2012.  These crops range from corn and soybeans to sweet peppers and tomatoes.  Zero tolerance policies can lead to entire ships of product being rejected in foreign ports because of "small amounts of dust" that include traces of biotech traits.  The dust that tested positive for a specific trait may not even be from the current shipment, but under a zero tolerance policy it does not matter.

A copy of the text of Grassley's letter to Ostroff is below.  A signed copy of the letter can be found here.


16 Jun 2015

Grassley, Thune Introduce Comprehensive Taxpayer Bill of Rights Legislation

By Grassley Press

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. John Thune of South Dakota today introduced comprehensive legislation to improve customer service at the IRS, create new taxpayer protections, and update and strengthen existing taxpayer protections.  The Taxpayer Bill of Rights Enhancement Act of 2015 comes amid gross mismanagement and inappropriate actions by IRS employees that have shaken what little confidence taxpayers may have had in the agency.

"The IRS has never been anyone's favorite agency," Grassley said.  "But it shouldn't repel and mistreat the people it exists to serve.  The IRS' level of customer service might be at all-time low.  Taxpayers are at a disadvantage with an agency that has tremendous power over their money.  The IRS might talk about good customer service.  Too often, talk is all there is.  The IRS needs to walk the walk.  Congress needs to act.  This bill will help swing the pendulum away from agency self-preservation and back to taxpayer service."

"This bill is intended to enact a much-needed culture change at the IRS, an agency whose reputation and trustworthiness has severely deteriorated with the American people over the last several years," said Thune. "No American should have to fear that politics could play a role in their confidential tax information being disclosed to a third party?, that they will be targeted based on their political beliefs, or that the IRS would not properly retain its employees' emails. This bill takes an important step toward restoring this agency to one that the American people both expect and deserve."

The bill is necessary to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect taxpayer rights by preventing IRS abuses, Grassley and Thune said.  Among other provisions, the legislation:

•    Significantly increases civil damages and criminal penalties for the unauthorized disclosure or inspection of tax return information and significantly increases civil damages for improper IRS collection activities.

•    Imposes an affirmative duty on the commissioner of the IRS to ensure that IRS employees are familiar with and act in accordance with all taxpayer protections.

•    Updates the "10 deadly sins" established by the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, those actions by IRS employees that require mandatory termination, to include official actions taken for political purposes.

•    Permits the Treasury Department to provide status updates, and in certain instances require status updates, regarding investigations into misconduct by IRS employees -- or in some circumstances third parties - to taxpayers who are the subject of the misconduct.

•    Puts the bite back into a provision, recently called a "toothless tiger" by Tax Notes, that permits taxpayers to bring a cause of action against the IRS for unauthorized collections actions.

•    Extends the declaratory judgment remedy currently available to 501(c)3 to other 501(c) groups, including 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, in instances where the IRS fails to act on an application in a timely manner or makes a negative determination as to their tax-exempt status.

•    Prohibits IRS officers and employees from using personal email accounts to conduct official business.

•    Provides additional authority concerning the use of taxpayer information to the IRS for the purpose of locating taxpayers due a tax refund.

•    Requires tax-exempt organizations to file Form 990 electronically and mandates that the IRS make such information available in a timely manner.

•    Imposes new requirements on the IRS with respect to email retention consistent with the existing directive from the Office of Management and Budget and the National Archives.

Grassley is former chairman of the Finance Committee, with jurisdiction over the IRS.  Grassley championed the 1988, 1996 and 1998 taxpayer rights laws currently on the books.  Grassley and Thune serve together on the Finance Committee and are joining forces to make the right to quality service a high priority at the IRS.

The bill contains some provisions passed by the House of Representatives in April and additional provisions to address shortcomings that have come to light since the last taxpayer rights bill.

A section-by-section summary of the bill, S. 1578, is available here.  The bill text is available here.  Video of the news conference is available here.

-30-
16 Jun 2015

Setback on trade expansion is disappointing, illogical

By Grassley Press

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on the House of Representatives' votes on Trade Adjustment Assistance and Trade Promotion Authority.  The House voted in favor of Trade Promotion Authority and against Trade Adjustment Assistance.  Procedurally, the provisions were linked, so Trade Promotion Authority did not advance.  The Senate passed both provisions earlier this year.

"This is a bad day for those of us who care about creating new opportunities for American workers through trade expansion.  The Democrats' logic in killing a program they created and have 'stood by for four decades,' as The New York Times put it, is hard to see.  New markets are coming, whether Trade Promotion Authority comes or not.  Iowa is an exporting state, like a lot of others.  Our farmers and businesses are looking for new export markets all the time.  Trade Promotion Authority is just the process that makes it easier to enter new trade agreements and gain better access to consumers around the world.  Maintaining the status quo doesn't help anybody.  The House Democrats say they want a better deal for America's workers, but right now, there's no deal.  The President needs to be more persuasive with his fellow Democrats if he wants trade expansion as one of his achievements."
16 Jun 2015

Administration Initiates Additional Management Steps to Prepare for Madigan-Cullerton Budget

By Catherine Kelly

Steps to Save Additional $420 Million

Cancel Funding for Legislative Earmarks

Freeze Non-Transportation Capital Projects

House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and their caucuses two weeks ago finished passing a budget with a $4 billion hole.

Since that time, Speaker Madigan and President Cullerton have refused to pass real, compromise reforms that will grow the economy, pay down the debt and end the era of wasteful spending and broken budgets while implementing parliamentary maneuvers to keep the governor from acting on the budget bills.

In preparation for the possibility of having no budget on July 1, or a budget with a $4 billion hole, the Administration is initiating its second round of steps to responsibly manage the state's finances. However, the options available to the Administration remain limited because the Madigan-Cullerton budget includes no reforms.

"Governor Rauner has compromised repeatedly, but Speaker Madigan and the politicians he controls continue to block any real reform," Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said. "It's deeply troubling to see that Speaker Madigan remains committed to sacrificing the middle class in order to protect the political class."

More steps will be announced as they are finalized.

 

 

Statewide

 

Action Initiated 

 

·         Notify all State of Illinois vendors to prepare for the potential of a longer delay in receiving payments for goods and services provided to the State.

 

Effective July 1, 2015

 

·         Suspend capital projects, including construction at state facilities, schools and colleges.

·         Suspend all capital grants for legislators' earmarks and non-bonded or "pay as you go" capital projects.

·         This freeze does not include road and other Department of Transportation projects.

·         Significantly reduce use of outside legal counsel by eliminating and/or reducing legal contracts.

 

Department of Healthcare and Family Services

Action Initiated

·         Reinstate timely re-determinations of Medicaid eligibility.

·         Roll back rates for ambulance services and renal care services to SMART-Act levels.

·         Reduce managed care capitation rates.

·         Discontinue special Medicaid payments to some hospitals.

·         Increase eligibility threshold (Determination of Need Score) to a level more consistent with national eligibility levels.

·         Achieve cost savings using new procurement strategy for purchasing durable medical equipment.

 

Department of Natural Resources

 

Effective September 1, 2015

 

·         Suspend operations at the World Shooting Recreational Complex (WSRC) near Sparta.  The site will become closed to the public and not available for events.

o   All events scheduled through August 2015, including the Grand American, will not be impacted by this action.

Department of Agriculture

Effective July 1, 2015

 

·         Suspend funding to county fairs for premiums and fairground rehabilitation projects.

·         Suspend funding for agricultural extension and 4-H clubs for premiums at agricultural shows.

·         Suspend funding for premiums for Agricultural Education Fairs.

·         Suspend funding for the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.

·         Suspend funding to the Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

 

Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority

Effective July 1, 2015

·         Suspend funding to Choose Chicago for tourism promotion.

 

Department of State Police

Effective July 1, 2015

·         Suspend FY16 initiative to purchase new forensic equipment.

Office of State Fire Marshal

Effective July 1, 2015

·         Suspend funding for the Chicago Fire Department training program.

·         Suspend reimbursements for fire department training to other local governments.

·         Suspend funding for small fire-fighting and ambulance equipment grants.

Criminal Justice Information Authority

Effective July 1, 2015

·         Suspend the following legislative earmarks:

o   YouthBuild grants;

o   Bullying Prevention grants;

o   Franklin County Methamphetamine Pilot Program; and

o   South Suburban Major Crimes Taskforce.

·         Suspend statewide funding for Operation CeaseFire.

·         Suspend funding for Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention grants. 

 

Department of Human Services

Effective July 1, 2015

  • Suspend funding for Community Services for juvenile delinquency program serving youth and young adults administered by the Chicago Area Project.
  • Suspend funding for Immigrant Integration Services.  Access to the Department's programs will continue through local offices.
  • Suspend funding for Welcoming Centers. Access to the Department's programs will continue through local offices.
  • Suspend funding for the Youth Employment legislative earmark.

Department of Public Health

Effective July 1, 2015

  • Suspend funding for Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV.
  • Suspend funding to the Tobacco Quitline.

Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

Effective July 1, 2015

  • Reduce funding for state-funded job training programs and suspend funding to legislative earmarks for job training.  This does not impact the Department's federal job training funds.
  • Suspend funding for all coal programs at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, including discontinuing subsidies to coal companies.
  • Suspend funding for the Renewable Energy Program.  This does not impact the Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards program.
  • Suspend funding for the Energy Efficiency Program.

 

Department of Transportation

 

Effective July 1, 2015 

·         Reduce funding for Amtrak.

·         Suspend state add-on payment to PACE.

·         Suspend state subsidy for Regional Transportation Authority Reduced Fares grant.

 

Department of Revenue

 

Effective July 1, 2015

·         Reduce funding for the following housing programs administered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority:

o   Multifamily Finance Program;

o   Reduce Homebuyer Acquisition Rehabilitation Program; and

o   Reduce Homeowner Emergency Repair Program.

Department of Veteran's Affairs

Effective July 1, 2015

·         Delay opening of Chicago Veterans' Home.

 

 

 

 

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