37 Police Academy Graduates Assigned Across the State

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by Illinois State Police Director Hiram Grau to commission 37 new State Troopers during a graduation ceremony at the State Police Academy in Springfield.  The new troopers will begin patrolling throughout the state starting Monday, July 28. Today's event is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to improve public safety across Illinois.

"The Illinois State Police have a long and distinguished history of service to the state," Governor Quinn said.  "Our newest graduates have been rigorously trained to uphold that tradition. I welcome this class of cadets into the State Police, and thank each of them for their dedication to making our state a safer place for all."

"These men and women dedicated themselves to successfully completing 25 weeks of rigorous training to become Illinois State Police officers," Director Grau said. "We welcome them to our ranks and salute their commitment to serving the citizens of Illinois."

Today's graduation of Cadet Class 124 marks the second cadet class this year. It is the third class to graduate under a new law that allows veterans who have been awarded an Afghan or Iraqi campaign medal by the U.S. military to apply without having earned a college degree. Fourteen of the new troopers are veterans, and of these, nine were hired under the new law.

The troopers completed a rigorous 25-week regimen of physical and classroom instruction which included training in Terrorism Awareness, Domestic Violence, Critical Incident Response, Firearms Training, First Responder Certification, Illinois Vehicle Code, Criminal Law, Motor Carrier Safety, Juvenile Law and more.

The new officers have been assigned to the following areas of the state and will immediately begin their patrol duties:

·         District 1 Sterling, 2 troopers

·         District 2 Elgin, 3 troopers

·         Chicago District, 4 troopers

·         District 5 Joliet, 1 trooper

·         District 6 Pontiac, 2 troopers

·         District 7 East Moline, 2 troopers

·         District 8 Metamora, 4 troopers

·         District 11 Collinsville, 6 troopers

·         District 14 Macomb, 1 trooper

·         District 16 Pecatonica, 4 troopers

·         District 17 LaSalle, 4 troopers

·         District 21 Kankakee, 4 troopers.

The Illinois State Police Academy is one of the most respected and recognized training facilities in the country.  Dozens of law enforcement agencies also use Academy curriculum to meet standards set forth by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

Those interested in joining the ranks of the Illinois State Police are encouraged to visit the Illinois State Police Merit Board website at www.illinoistrooper.com for application information.

 

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Governor Quinn Signs $1.1 Billion Capital Construction Bill

Shovel Ready Projects Will Create Thousands of Jobs and Drive Economic Growth

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed a new state capital construction bill that invests $1.1 billion in road and bridge projects to improve transportation and create jobs and boost economic development across Illinois, including the Quad Cities area. The bill, which follows Governor Quinn's successful six-year, $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program, will deliver more than 210 projects and create an estimated 14,300 jobs. The legislation is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois' economy forward.

"With this investment in our state's infrastructure, we are immediately putting people to work, making our world-class transportation system even stronger and generating economic development far into the future," Governor Quinn said. "I applaud the General Assembly for passing the legislation, which allows us to begin making these much-needed improvements now in the Quad Cities area."

"After the historic winter we experienced, many of our roads and bridges are in desperate need of attention," Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Erica Borggren said. "This construction program is the shot in the arm that our transportation system and our economy needs."

The Governor today signed House Bill 3794, the capital construction bill, at the Circle Interchange in Chicago. The Governor also signed Senate Bill 3224, that provides the General Obligation bond authorization needed to fund the $1.1 billion worth of transportation infrastructure improvements.

Construction on many of the "shovel ready" projects has already begun this summer.

Investments in the Quad Cities area include :

·         $31 million to resurface 30 miles of Interstate 80 in Henry County.

·         $16.8 million to resurface Interstate 74/Illinois 110/Interstate 80 in Henry County.

·         $4 million to resurface 14.3 miles of Illinois 40 from Milledgeville to Coleta in Carroll and Whiteside Counties.

In addition to funding $1 billion in projects in the Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) FY2015-2020 Multi-Year Program, the new capital construction program includes $100 million for municipal and township governments to improve infrastructure at the local level. The funding, distributed and overseen by IDOT, will help communities throughout Illinois combat potholes and make other critical infrastructure repairs.

Governor Quinn's Employ Illinois, an expansion of his efforts to train diverse workers for jobs in the construction industry and provide enhanced financial incentives to businesses that hire them, will be used in many of the projects funded by the $1.1 billion construction bill. Employ Illinois links job seekers with training and hiring initiatives offered by IDOT and the Illinois Tollway, and increases the incentive paid to contractors from $10 to $15 an hour for each program graduate they put to work.

For a complete list of projects in the capital program, visit http://www.dot.il.gov/opp/planning.html.

In 2009, Governor Quinn spearheaded Illinois Jobs Now!, the state's first capital construction program in a decade. The $31 billion capital construction program has been the largest in Illinois history, supporting an estimated 439,000 construction jobs. The program included $14.5 billion for highway transportation through 2015. To date, through the program dedicated for transportation needs, IDOT has awarded more than 6,500 projects worth $15.92 billion, creating and supporting nearly 200,000 jobs. These have included improvements to 8,188 miles of roadway and 1,402 bridges across the state.

Today's bill signing, combined with Illinois Jobs Now! and the Illinois Tollway's $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, means the state of Illinois is carrying out one of the largest capital construction efforts in the nation.

Attached is a list of statewide transportation infrastructure investment projects.

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Governor Quinn Takes Bill Action on Monday, July 21, 2014

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bills:

 

Bill No.: HB 4284

An Act Concerning: Education

Modifies requirements for University of Illinois student trustee candidates.

Action: Signed

Effective: Immediately

 

Bill No.: SB 1098

An Act Concerning: Business

Modifies provisions pertaining to corporate dissolution.

Action: Signed

Effective: Jan. 1, 2015

 

Bill No.: SB 3130

An Act Concerning: Transportation

Establishes licensing requirements for certain unique vehicles.

Action: Signed

Effective: Jan. 1, 2015

 

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Governor Quinn Signs Legislation to Strengthen Ethics Provisions in County Government

Law Helps Increase Accountability for Public Officials in Illinois' Collar Counties

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to strengthen ethics provisions in certain Illinois county governments. The new law helps these counties establish ethical guidelines and simplifies the removal process for individuals who violate those guidelines. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to making Illinois government more accountable, transparent and effective.

"Public officials should always be accountable to the public, regardless of how they attain their positions," Governor Quinn said. "This new law is part of our ongoing effort to make sure that all officials at any level of government maintain the public trust."

Senate Bill 3552, sponsored by State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) and State Representative Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake), allows county boards to adopt a code of conduct regarding the accountability, fiscal responsibility, procurement authority, transparency and ethical conduct of county appointees. It also sets forth a mechanism to remove county appointees who violate that code of conduct. The law applies to counties with a population greater than 300,000 but less than 2,000,000, which currently includes DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane and McHenry counties. The legislation was drafted because county boards do not always have the authority to remove appointees due to misconduct. The new law is effective Jan. 1, 2015.

"Everyone who serves the public should be held to the highest ethical standards," Senator Morrison said. "It shouldn't matter if you are elected, appointed or hired. If you violate the public trust, there should be a way to remove you from your position."

"I'm proud of this bi-partisan effort to improve accountability for local government," Representative Yingling said. "It shows that by working together, we can improve ethical standards and transparency for taxpayers."

Since taking office, Governor Quinn has made ethics reform a top priority. In his first official act, Governor Quinn signed an Executive Order establishing the Illinois Reform Commission. Later that year he signed ground-breaking campaign finance reform legislation into law that imposed Illinois' first-ever contribution limits on candidates, political parties and political action committees.

In August of 2009, the Governor launched the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal to provide people in Illinois access to state government spending information. The website makes the state's expenditures and employee pay data available through a single, searchable portal: Accountability.Illinois.gov.

Governor Quinn also launched a searchable clearinghouse of information from state agencies that helps inform residents about the operation of state government and encourage the creative use of state information, including the development of applications for mobile devices that can be built around the data.

An Executive Order signed by the Governor in 2010 encourages state agencies and local governments across Illinois to increase the amount of raw data they share with each other, businesses, academic institutions and the general public. The order makes data available to the public and further empowers the people of Illinois to make a difference.

Governor Quinn has also signed legislation to strengthen the Illinois Open Meetings Act by ensuring that a copy of the meeting notice and agenda is available to the public for the entire 48 hours preceding the meeting.

 

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Portion of Cicero Avenue Now Named for Late World Leader

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by state and local officials on what would have been Nelson Mandela's 96th birthday to unveil the newly-designated Mandela Road in Chicago. The stretch of Cicero Avenue from Roosevelt Road to West Grand Avenue will now also bear a designation in honor of the late South African President and world civil rights leader Nelson Mandela.

"Nelson Mandela was a hero of democracy and championed the struggle for basic human rights and dignity," Governor Quinn said. "Now, those traveling this state highway on Chicago's west side will be reminded of Mandela's lifelong journey that continues to have a profound effect on the world we live in today."

The Illinois General Assembly officially designated a portion of Cicero Avenue, also known as Illinois Route 50, as Mandela Road in House Joint Resolution 89, which was sponsored by State Representative La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) and State Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood). The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is erecting signs in honor of the designation at a series of intersections along Cicero Avenue. Residents and businesses along the route will retain their official Cicero Avenue addresses.

Mandela Road joins other honorary Chicago street designations including those named for Emmett Till, Studs Terkel, Harold Washington, Mother Theresa and Michael Krzyzewski or "Coach K."

Nelson Mandela was born July 18, 1918 and, after studying law, became active in the African National Congress (ANC) and other organizations that opposed colonial rule and apartheid politics. Following numerous arrests in the 1950s and early 60s for anti-government activities, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1962 and served 27 years before an international lobbying effort helped secure his 1990 release.

Mandela and others negotiated with South African President F.W. de Klerk to abolish apartheid and hold elections in 1994 that were open to all South Africans. In those elections Mandela led the ANC to victory and became South Africa's first black president, serving until 1999. His government dismantled the apartheid legacy and tackled institutionalized racism, poverty and inequality. After leaving government, Mandela focused on combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation. He died December 5, 2013 and his funeral was attended by more than 100 world leaders and tens of thousands of mourners.

 

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AGENDA
1. Call to order
2. Approval of Minutes: June 25, 2014 meeting
3. Public Hearing - Variance - Kenneth Cooper (applicant): Request for a variance to allow a 24' x 16' room addition onto the south side of the existing house to be located less than the required 25 feet from a front property line at 215 Blackhawk Drive, Lot 36 of Parkview 6th Addition, Butler Township.
4. Public Hearing - Variance - Stephen Allison (applicant): Rehearing of a previous request for a variance to allow a new 24' x 12' portable shed to be located less than ten (10) feet from a rear property line at 26545 285th Avenue, Section 35 of Princeton Township.
Public Hearing Procedure:
a. Chairman reads notice of public hearing.
b. Director reviews case.
c. Applicant/Representative speaks on behalf of request.
d. Public may ask questions or make comments.
e. Director makes staff recommendation.
f. Applicant may respond to comments and/or recommendation.
g. Board members may ask questions.
h. Chairman closes the public portion of the hearing. (No more comments from public or applicant.)
i. Discussion period to determine justification for decision.
j. Board members move to accept, reject, or modify request.
k. Final vote. Case closed. Three members of the Board constitute a quorum. The concurring vote of three members of the Board shall be necessary to reverse any decision or determination of the zoning administrator or to decide in favor of an application for a variance or conditions for a special use permit. The Board of Adjustment is "quasi-judicial" and not a recommending body. Therefore, any appeals to their decisions should be filed with District Court within 30 days of the meeting.
Please turn off or silence all cell phones and other electronic devices