Tuesday, August 2nd, is the 28th Annual National Night Out Against Crime. The purpose of National Night Out is to celebrate neighborly relationships, connect with neighborhood youth, and to strengthen collaboration between residents, businesses, and the police. Neighborhood associations registered with the City can request up to $250 reimbursement for event related expenses.

To encourage collaboration, associations that host a single event are eligible for up to $275 each in reimbursement. Event registration and reimbursement forms have been sent to the presidents of all registered neighborhood associations.

The documents are also available at the City’s Web site: www.ci.peoria.il.us/planningforms, or at Planning and Growth Management Department, Twin Towers Building, 456 Fulton St., Suite 402. The registration deadline is July 22nd.

For information call Steve Fairbanks at 494-8603.

Proctor Hospital and the Hult Center for Health Education are sponsoring Safe Sitter classes Thursday, June 16 and Friday, June 17 at the Center.

Designed for interested sitters age 11, 12 and 13, the two-day course will provide participants with insight in the areas of: babysitting as a business; child care essentials; safety for sitters and children; injury prevention; problem behaviors; what to do if a child is choking; and infant and child CPR training.

Cost is $70.00 per participant and class size is limited. Each session begins at 8:00 a.m. and concludes at 3:00 p.m.; sack luncheons are required for each session.

The Hult Center for Health Education is located at 5212 N. Knoxville, Peoria.
For more information or to register call 692-6650.

The Peoria Park District’s Luthy Botanical Garden will hold their annual June Plant Sale on Friday, June 3 (10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.), Saturday, June 4 (10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) and Sunday, June 5 (12:00 – 5:00 p.m.).

Celebrate the beginning of summer at the June Plant Sale, an encore presentation of the Garden’s Spring Plant Sale, with more plants and new selections from which to choose. This is a great time to make some additions to your perennial bed, add tropical plants to your patio, or indulge yourself with some more herbs or veggies (selection is limited).

On Sunday, June 5, you can also take a tour of the Garden with manager Bob Streitmatter. The fee for adults is just $2.00 and children 12 and under are free.

For additional information, contact Luthy Botanical Garden at (309) 686-3362.

In the wake of Governor Pat Quinn’s decision to drop Humana and Health Alliance as state health insurance providers, state Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) on Monday backed legislation to reverse the governor’s order and preserve access to healthcare for thousands of current and retired public employees in Central Illinois.

“The Department of Healthcare and Family Services elected to unilaterally drop all HMO providers in the state in favor of Blue Cross Blue Shield without fully evaluating what it would mean to the people of my district and surrounding areas,” Gordon said. “The administration’s ill-conceived decision impacts the lives of over 100,000 residents across the state, and many of those individuals have contacted my office out of desperation and a fear that they will unnecessarily have to change medical providers who have cared for them for years.”

Prior to a 2005 executive order, the procurement process for state health insurance was coordinated by Central Management Services (CMS). Under the executive order issued by former Governor Rod Blagojevich, healthcare procurement was transferred to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS). With the contract of the current HMO providers set to expire in July, DHFS recently announced it would drop three providers (Health Alliance, Humana, and Unicare) in favor of only one provider, Blue Cross/Blue Shield. This change in policy would result in an estimated 100,000 individuals in Central Illinois having to change insurance providers.

Health Alliance and Humana, common providers in the Peoria area, immediately protested the decision, and after their bid was rejected, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) passed a resolution against the change.

Senate Bill 178, backed by Gordon, transfers healthcare purchasing power back to CMS and the original agencies, thereby reversing the administration’s decision. The bill also increases the ability of COGFA to not only review proposed healthcare contracts, but to approve or disapprove of the contracts before they are finalized. If COGFA disapproves of a contract, the General Assembly would have to pass a joint resolution for the contract to become effective.

“The dramatic shift in policy regarding the state’s health insurance providers will severely affect my constituents and it is very clearly my responsibility to make sure the governor’s proposed change doesn’t happen,” Gordon said. “This legislation ensures that state agencies cannot make unilateral decisions that so radically impact the lives of Illinoisans without a proper review and oversight.”

Senate Bill 178 now heads to the governor’s desk for his consideration. For more information, please contact Rep. Gordon’s constituent service office at (309) 681-1992.

To familiarize its audience with one of its new concert venues for the upcoming 2011/2012 season, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra will hold an Open House on Saturday, June 4, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Grace Presbyterian Church, 8607 State Route 91.

“I look forward to greeting our friends at Grace on June 4th. They will find the hall most impressive with great acoustics, very comfortable seats, great views, and a design similar to modern European concert halls,” said PSO music director George Stelluto.

Those planning to attend the Open House should take U.S. Route 150 (War Memorial Drive) and turn north onto Route 91, which is near the Shoppes at Grand Prairie. The church is located 1.2 miles down the road, across from the new OSF Center for Health.

The PSO has scheduled three concerts at Grace; the October 22 Civil War-themed Classics Series concert, its January 14 Classics Series concert with guest artists Richard Hirschl and David Taylor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and it final Classics Series concert on April 21, a performance of Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis.”

The full listing of the PSO’s season can be found at www.peoriasymphony.org.

Let the Peoria Black Chamber of Commerce HELP find your connection ….
Your Business and Banking Opportunity!

Tuesday, May 31st from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Jonathon Romain’s Art Gallery, 1919 N. Sheridan Rd.

Free Event
Free Advice
Free Food

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) voted to support workers’ compensation reform in the State Senate. According to Michael McRaith, Director of the Illinois Department of Insurance, savings resulting from this reform could result in more than $650 million per year and bring down insurance premiums by 12% to 18%.

“I have been talking to constituents for months about workers’ compensation reform,” Koehler said. “We all understand that the system needs to be fixed. It costs businesses too much money, and I’m not convinced that it even serves injured workers as well as it could. This bill, while not perfect, addresses some of the worst problems.”

House Bill 1698 makes a wide-variety of far reaching changes to the workers’ compensation system. Here is a list detailing some of the more substantial reforms:

* Reduces the medical fee schedule by 30%, meaning doctors will not receive as much money for treating injured workers; however, Illinois doctors still do well when compared to other states.
* Strikes a reasonable compromise to allow workers to choose their own doctors while preventing them from “doctor shopping” by allowing employers to create networks of doctors to choose from, much like a health insurance network.
* Requires doctors to follow American Medical Association guidelines for determining levels of disability, and creates a list of criteria that the Workers’ Compensation Commission must consider when making final disability determinations.
* Limits carpal tunnel awards.
* Makes it easier for employers to deny claims for injuries resulting from intoxication.

“I worked with the sponsor of this legislation to try to make sure that workers’ compensation continues to fulfill its original purpose,” Koehler explained. “An ideal system ensures that workers receive compensation for work-related injuries while protecting employers from unlimited civil damage awards. I don’t necessarily agree with every last change in this bill, and there are other provisions I wanted to see included, but I think this legislation does maintain a reasonable workers’ compensation system and provides important cost-savings for Illinois businesses.”

The legislation also helps address alleged abuses to the workers compensation system by establishing new standards for the Workers’ Compensation Commission. Members of the commission will have to abide by the State’s judicial code of conduct, undertake training every two years, refuse gifts from workers’ compensation attorneys, and have their own claims heard by independent arbiters. There are also new procedures for appointing arbitrators and criminal penalties for fraud. The bill requires the State to purchase workers’ compensation insurance from a third party rather than self-insure, which is the current practice.

“Another important aspect of this legislation is that we fight fraud and abuse,” Koehler said. “Alleged abuses by State employees cost taxpayers money we simply cannot afford.”

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) has successfully passed a serious plan for addressing the issue of school consolidation–potentially saving taxpayers money and improving children’s educational opportunities.

“Illinois has 869 school districts that vary in school-age population from less than 200 to more than 400,000,” Koehler said. “At the same time, every level of government is being forced to cut spending, and taxpayers are tightening their own belts. If we approach school consolidation the right way, we can improve things for everyone.”

Koehler’s legislation, House Bill 1216, does not force school districts to consolidate. It creates a commission with representatives from a wide variety of stakeholders to seriously look at the issue and put together specific recommendations for the General Assembly. However, in an unusual move, Koehler added a clause to his bill requiring the
General Assembly to vote on the commission’s recommendation. If the Illinois House and Senate accept the commission’s recommendations, they will not automatically go into effect. Additional legislation would be needed.

“Sometimes when we create commissions and task forces, they come up with great plans, but for a variety of reasons, their reports end up collecting dust on a shelf somewhere,” Koehler explained. “I don’t want to see that happen with this important issue, which is why I believe it’s vital that the General Assembly vote on the commission’s recommendations.”

Teachers unions, principals, school boards, parents, Chicago Public Schools, suburban school districts, downstate school districts, and others will all have a seat on the School District Realignment and Consolidation Commission. The governor, lieutenant governor, and legislative leaders all get to appoint members to the commission, and the lieutenant governor or her designee will serve as chairperson.

“I understand that school consolidation is an extremely sensitive issue,” Koehler said. “Parents care passionately about their children’s education, and local schools are often the hearts of our communities. That’s why I want everyone to work together to identify the places where school consolidation makes sense. We’ll be more likely to come up with a solution that really meets our communities’ needs if everyone works together and is willing to compromise.”

The bill has now passed both houses of the General Assembly and awaits the governor’s signature.

Working to make Illinois a more attractive state to potential employers, state Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) voted this week for legislation that will preserve a vital economic development tool used to attract distribution centers and other warehouse facilities to the state.

“One of my missions as a legislator is to put Illinois in a better position to compete for jobs, and this bill will help make sure an important tool used by economic developers doesn’t go away,” said Gordon. “I will continue to promote legislation that creates compelling reasons for businesses struggling through the recession to set up shop or further invest in Illinois. Extending this exemption for companies moving merchandise in and out of the state is part of this effort.”

Senate Bill 401 extends the centralized purchasing activities sales tax exemption for five additional years. This exemption is available for companies who temporarily store items in Illinois prior to them being transported out of Illinois for consumption and use. The exemption helps Illinois compete for distribution centers and other facilities that are used in the movement of products.

The centralized purchasing activities sales tax exemption is currently set to expire on June 30, 2011. After this date, if Senate Bill 401 is not signed into law, companies who currently receive the exemption will have to pay sales tax in Illinois and use tax in the state where they ship the item being sold. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Manufacturers Association, Taxpayers Federation, and Illinois Retail Merchants Association all are in support of this measure.

“This tax exemption encourages multi-state companies to keep facilities open in Illinois and saves the jobs they have generated here,” said Gordon. “One of the most important tasks for our state is to create an environment that encourages job growth, and I urge the governor to sign this legislation as soon as possible to ensure this economic development incentive does not expire.”

Senate Bill 401 overwhelmingly passed the General Assembly and awaits consideration by the Governor. For more information on this matter, please contact Gordon’s constituent service office at (309) 681-1992.

The Peoria chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union will dedicate a display case to its former president Jack ( J.D.) Wheeler at 1:00 p.m. on June 11 at the Peoria Public Library’s Downtown branch, 107 NE Monroe.

Wheeler, who died in 2007, was a long time supporter of both the ACLU and the library. He served as Peoria ACLU chapter president from 1991-2000, and was an outspoken advocate for civil liberties and civil rights. He wrote letters and newspaper columns about these issues, appeared at public meetings, and served as the spokesman for the Peoria chapter.

The display case, in Lower Level Two of the library, will initially contain books, documents and other items on civil liberties, then will be used for other displays. Funds for the display case were raised from contributions from those who remember Wheeler and his advocacy.

Speakers for the event will include C. Paul Miller, Peoria ACLU Chapter President Tom Pugh, Wheeler’s friend, Peoria ACLU Board member and former associate editor Peoria Journal Star; and Mike Bailey, editor, Peoria Journal Star.

The event is free and open to the public. Civil liberties informational brochures and free ACLU- Bill of Rights bookmarks will be available.