SPRINGFIELD - August 15, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bills:

Bill No.: HB 4022

An Act Concerning: Transportation

Includes Class II rail carriers in the requirement that a counseling or trauma program be filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and be updated every three years.

Action: Signed

Effective Date: Immediately

Bill No.: HB 5212

An Act Concerning: Wages

Requires public bodies or other entities to Illinois Department of Labor revises the prevailing hourly wage rate applicable to the contract.

Action: Signed

Effective Date: Jan. 1

Bill No.: SB 3279

An Act Concerning: Regulation

Adds additional protections for consumers and licensed roofing contractors by making changes to the roofing licensing and permitting process.

Action: Signed

Effective Date: Immediately

Bill No.: SB 3792

An Act Concerning: Civil Law

Extends the timeframe for obtaining a mechanics lien under the Mechanics Lien Act in connection with any type of property other than residential property.

Action: Signed

Effective Date: Jan. 1

Moline, IL ... Rep. Rich Morthland (R-Cordova) and Rep. Jim Sacia (R-Freeport) delivered a letter yesterday to Governor Quinn and his staff requesting he work to give the Thomson Correctional Center from the state of Illinois to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in exchange for their commitment to pay off the remaining mortgage of $61 million and open the facility.

"There is great potential by putting this prison to use, and instead it sits idle." Morthland said. "Thomson Correctional Center has been unoccupied and unused for twelve years now and the sale has been on the table for more than 2 ½ years. This is unacceptable."

Estimates suggest that putting this prison facility to use will create an additional 1,100 direct and indirect new jobs, and will inject more than $200 million per year into the economy of Carroll County, Whiteside County, and surrounding counties.

"I appreciate the Governor and other legislators ongoing efforts to complete the sale and transfer of Thomson," said Morthland. "While this step is bold, Representative Sacia and I believe it is necessary."

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CHICAGO - August 13, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bills:

Bill No.: HB 4029

An Act Concerning: Education

Expands the selection criteria for school boards in order to enable them to consider factors such as student safety and comfort, rather than just cost, when awarding transportation contracts.

Action: Signed

Effective Date: Immediately

Bill No.: HB 4615

An Act Concerning: Housing

Clarifies that existing caps on operating expenses for distributing Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) grants are annual caps, and establishes caps on operating expenses if grants are awarded for multiple years.

Action: Signed

Effective Date: Jan. 1

Bill No.: HB 4665

An Act Concerning: Residential Construction

Creates the Radon Resistant Construction Act to mandate that all new residential construction in Illinois include passive radon resistant construction. The law also changes reporting requirements for the Task Force on Radon-Resistant Building Codes as outlined in the Radon Industry Licensing Act.

Action: Signed

Effective Date: June 1

Bill No.: HB 4689

An Act Concerning: Business

Changes the definition of "gift certificate" to include credit slips issued for returns.

Action: Signed

Effective Date: Jan. 1

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MAIN STREET IOWA and HILLTOP CAMPUS VILLAGE PRESENT NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED RETAIL DEVELOPMENT EXPERT

Ms. Hilary Greenberg will speak at a luncheon on Thursday August 23 at the Fellows Room in the Vickie Anne Palmer Hall, 115 West 7th Street in Davenport. Her presentation topic will be Powering Up Your Downtown Business Mix: Business Retention and Recruitment Strategies.

Ms Greenberg is the president of Greenberg Development Services (GDS), a Charlotte North Carolina-based planning and economic development consulting firm. Ms. Greenberg is nationally recognized as a downtown development expert in the area of retail leasing and business development training programs for community volunteers. Her specific fields of consultation include market analyses, downtown plans, retail leasing strategies and development plans for downtown or neighborhood commercial districts. She has worked with various state and local governments as well as both private and non-profit organizations. She has been a consultant to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center for over 20 years and has worked with over 30 State-affiliated Main Street programs.

"We are very fortunate to have a presenter of Ms. Greenberg's caliber to provide perspective and direction on this timely topic", acknowledged Hilltop Campus Village Board President Robert Lee. "With all the interest in downtown and commercial district activity we wanted to make this available to interested parties throughout the region."

Ms. Greenberg is a popular speaker on the topic of commercial redevelopment and has been the keynote speaker at conferences sponsored by the International Economic Development Council, the National League of Cities, the International Downtown Association and the National Main Street Center.

There is a $10.00 charge for each attendee to cover the cost of the lunch, and space is limited. People are asked to RSVP before August 21 by contacting the Hilltop Campus Village offices at 563-322-8293, or by emailing scott.tunnicliff@mchsi.com.