Also Signs Legislation to Improve Government Transparency and Prohibit Eavesdropping

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to support secure homeownership for veterans with disabilities and their families. The new law expands property tax exemptions for veterans with disabilities, which will reduce the financial burden of homeownership. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to honor and support the men and women who have served our nation.

"When our brave men and women return from service, they deserve a safe place to call home," Governor Quinn said. "Those of us on the homefront have a duty to take care of our servicemembers who have borne the battle. This new law is another way we can support veterans with disabilities by ensuring that Illinois' heroes aren't burdened by overwhelming property taxes."

Senate Bill 2905, sponsored by State Senator Michael Hastings (D-Matteson) and State Representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Aurora), expands property tax exemptions for veterans with disabilities and their spouses, increasing the disabled veterans' homestead exemption from $70,000 to $100,000. The law also expands the disabled veterans' homestead exemption to housing donated to veterans with disabilities by charities.

Senator Hastings, who is a military veteran, introduced the legislation after hearing from a veteran who was 100 percent disabled and unable to pay the property taxes on a home that had been equipped for his disability and given to him by a charity. The law also extends the disabled veterans' standard homestead exemption to a veteran's spouse in the event of the veteran's service-related death.

The new law goes into effect immediately.

Governor Quinn also today signed House Bill 3672 which requires open meetings of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Board (CTA), the Regional Transportation Authority Board (RTA), the Suburban Bus Board (Pace) and the Commuter Rail Board (Metra) to be streamed online.

The bill, sponsored by State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) and State Representative Al Riley (D-Olympia Fields), also requires a recording of the meeting be posted to each board's website. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to make Illinois government more accountable, transparent and effective.

The new law goes into effect June 1, 2015.

In addition, the Governor signed Senate Bill 1342, sponsored by State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) and State Representative Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook), which prohibits the secret recording of private conversations without the consent of all participants.

A conversation is considered private if any of the participants have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as during a private telephone conversation. The law includes exemptions for law enforcement investigating certain felonies such as kidnapping, gang or drug offenses, as approved by the State's Attorney and county judge on a case-by-case basis.

The legislation replaces portions of the Illinois Criminal Code found unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court in March. The new law does not prohibit overt recording in public space, where there can be no reasonable expectation of privacy.

The law goes into effect immediately.

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Governor Makes Christmas Eve Donation to Program That Helps Injured Servicemembers Connect with Family

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today urged people across Illinois to support Operation Hero Miles, a program that helps injured servicemembers connect with their families. The Governor today donated 4,000 frequent flyer miles to Operation Hero Miles and highlighted the program's positive impact on the lives of military families. Today's Christmas Eve announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to honor, protect and support the men and women who have served our nation.

"Nothing should keep injured servicemembers and their families apart during this very special time of year," Governor Quinn said. "Christmas is a time of gratitude and Operation Hero Miles gives us a great opportunity to thank our military members and their families who have sacrificed so much."

Operation Hero Miles uses donated frequent flyer miles to provide free round-trip airline tickets to military families flying to visit a servicemember receiving medical treatment. It also enables wounded or ill servicemembers with approved leave to fly home at no cost. Supported by nearly every major airline, the program has issued more than 40,000 donated tickets to date, saving servicemembers and their families nearly $63 million. To donate miles, visit FisherHouse.org.

The Governor recently returned from a trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he delivered holiday cards made by Illinois schoolchildren to wounded servicemembers, doctors and staff. This year marked the 10th time that Governor Quinn has visited Illinois troops and their families for Christmas.

For more information on these and other initiatives to help our veterans, please visit OperationHomefront.org.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (12/18/2014)(readMedia)-- Approximately 20 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers who served in Afghanistan will return to Illinois this week. The homecoming ceremony for the Bilateral Embedded Staff Team (BEST) A13 will be December 19 at approximately 12:30 p.m.at Camp Lincoln in Springfield.

The BEST A13 Soldiers were mobilized in April and deployed to Afghanistan.

The team trained with the Polish Land Forces before deploying. The unique mission allowed Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers to train and deploy side-by-side with their Polish counterparts. The Soldiers are from various parts of Illinois and were selected for the mission based on their training and skills.

While deployed to Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, the Soldiers facilitated operations with Task Force White Eagle, which is primarily composed of the Polish 10th Logistics Brigade. BEST Soldiers were embedded with the Polish brigade to synchronize task force operations.

BEST A13 had many accomplishments while in Afghanistan, including the recovery and turn-in of $3.5 million of unaccounted U.S. property, which would have been a loss to the government. The team also expanded the capability and functionality of the Polish military, a NATO partner. The Illinois National Guard has had a state partnership with Poland since 1993 and has deployed side-by-side with Polish Forces for more than 20 years.

For more information call the Public Affairs Office at 217-761-3569.

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Invites the Public to Drop Off Winter Clothing, Canned Food and Personal Items at State Facilities in Five Cities from Dec. 1-19

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today launched the Warm Our Heroes holiday collection drive for Illinois veterans and their families and invited people across the state to support this important cause. In five cities across Illinois, state facilities will accept public donations of winter clothing, non-perishable food and personal items until Dec. 19. The Warm Our Heroes drive is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to honor and support the men and women who have served our country and maintain Illinois' status as the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.

"We need to always take care of those who have borne the battle, especially during the holiday season," Governor Quinn said. "Warm Our Heroes supports our veterans and their families and I encourage everyone to take a minute to give back to those who have sacrificed so much."

Warm Our Heroes was launched by the Governor in 2012 as a state employee initiative to provide much-needed items to Illinois veterans in need. In its first year, state employees collected more than 3,500 donations which were distributed to veterans' organizations across the state. This year the Governor expanded the program to allow the public to participate.

Warm Our Heroes will collect warm winter clothing, dry and canned food and personal items such as toothpaste and soap to give to community veterans organizations and VA hospitals. The donation drop-off sites include :

·         The E.J. Giorgi Center - 200 S. Wyman, Rockford, 61101

·         Illinois State Capital - 401 S. 2nd Street or 207 State House, Springfield, 62706

·         James R. Thompson Center - 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago, 60601

·         Kenneth Hall State Regional Office Building - 10 Collinsville Ave., East St. Louis, 62201

·         Marion Regional Office Building - 2309 W. Main St., Marion, 62959

In addition, Illinois Department of Transportation district headquarters offices are accepting Warm Our Heroes donations.  These include :

·         201 W. Center Court, Schaumburg, 60196

·         819 Depot Avenue, Dixon, 61021

·         700 E. Norris Dr., Ottawa, 61305

·         401 Main St., Peoria, 61602

·         13473 Illinois Highway 133, Paris, 61944

·         2300 S. Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, 62703

·         400 W. Wabash, Effingham, 62401

·         1102 Eastport Plaza Dr., Collinsville, 62234

·         2801 W. Murphysboro Rd.,Carbondale, 62901

For more information visit Illinois.gov/WarmOurHeroes.

Throughout his career in public service, Governor Quinn has been committed to Illinois veterans, servicemembers and their families. In 2009, Governor Quinn became the first Governor in Illinois history to dedicate state capital dollars to supportive housing for veterans. In 2011, when soldiers began returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, Governor Quinn launched Welcome Home Heroes to help these brave men and women resettle and become homeowners, helping more than 1,600 veterans and active military men and women to date.

As Lieutenant Governor, Governor Quinn championed the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund Act, which established a voluntary fund to provide grants to families of Illinois National Guard members and Illinois residents serving in the U.S. Armed Forces Reserve called to active duty. These grants help with the costs of food, housing, utilities, medical services and other expenses they struggle to afford because of the disparity between military and civilian pay. The fund has distributed more than $15.1 million to 29,625 Illinois military families.

Other programs championed by Governor Quinn include the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program that helps veterans transition back to their daily lives and the Veterans Cash instant lottery program with all proceeds going to benefit Illinois veterans' organizations.

For more information about these and other programs for our veterans, visit OperationHomefront.org/ or call the IDVA at (217) 782-6641 or (312) 814-2460.

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