Afternoon news update: May 19, 2015

A federal jury has convicted two Illinois residents in a $4.5 million Medicare fraud scheme that involved billing the government for services to people who were dead. Rick Brown of Rockford and Mary Talaga of Elmwood Park were each found guilty last week of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and related charges. Prosecutors said Brown and Talaga falsely billed Medicare for services never provided to patients, some of whom had died.
Some Rockford Mc Donald’s employees and supporters will be headed to Oak Brook on Wednesday to protest at the annual stockholder’s meeting. The group will join others from around the country to call on the company to pay workers $15 an hour and to allow employees to join a union. That’s just one thing stockholders can look forward to. Slumping sales and labor-law violations along with dissatisfaction among franchisees in the U-S, plus tax evasion charges and health and safety violations overseas are items on the agenda as well.
The governor's mixed messaging on his support for immigrants is drawing criticism from an Illinois congressman. While Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he supports comprehensive immigration reform and the Obama administration's deferred deportation programs, he's also proposing cutting all funding to immigrant services in next year's budget. U.S. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Chicago), speaking at Erie Neighborhood House, an immigrant services group in Chicago, says those cuts shouldn't be implemented. "To the governor of the state of Illinois: you should be in this room, standing with our immigrant community and restoring full funding to the Illinois coalition," Gutierrez said. Immigrant services were one of several budget items which were cut off for several weeks after Rauner suspended $26 million in grants in an effort to close a budget gap in the current fiscal year. While that funding has since been restored, it's still due to be zeroed out in the governor's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2016. Lawrence Benito, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, calls the cut short-sighted, and warns it would hurt the ability of immigrant groups in the state to get people signed up for the deferred deportation programs Rauner has claimed to support. "The governor had called DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) and expanded DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) 'a great start,' but he didn't seem to realize that many of the agencies that receive funding are the very same organizations where many applicants turn for accurate information and assistance."
With two weeks to go until the Illinois legislature's scheduled adjournment, senators who sit on appropriations committees heard the not-greatest hits of how the state is doing. Laurence Msall, president of the Chicago-based Civic Federation, shared findings of a report based on Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed budget. "The uncertainty of what the state of Illinois is going to do next. The temporary income tax not tied to any plan, to reduce spending; "The careening from one crisis to the next. It is really having a much worse economic development impact on our state" than any particular rating, ranking, or rate. Msall, responding to a point about whether the state has a spending problem or a revenue problem, says the state now has enough revenue to spend $32 billion, but some people want to spend more than $32 billion. The report's suggestions are to consider: raising the income tax from the current 3.75 percent to 4.25 percent; beginning to tax retirement income; and applying the sales tax to services. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn May 31. After that, bills need a three-fifths majority, rather than a simple majority, to pass. The state's fiscal year ends June 30.
State Representative Brian Stewart of Freeport has seen his “Scott’s Law” legislation approved in the Illinois Senate. The measure will now head to the Governor’s desk for his approval. If signed by the governor, December 23^rd would be designated “Scott’s Law Day” in honor of public safety workers and to remind motorists to slow down. On December 23, 2000, Lt. Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department was struck and killed by a motorist speeding through an accident scene.
The government claims Fiat Chrysler automobiles isn't working fast enough to fix recalled cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will hold a hearing on July 2nd. It will investigate the automaker's performance on 20 recalls involving about 10 million cars, trucks and SUVs. Fiat Chrysler denied it hadn't been working hard enough to repair recalled vehicles. It said its average completion rate exceeds the industry average, and "the company will cooperate fully."
Democratic state Sen. Tom Cullerton says he's going to run for the U.S. House seat that’s being vacated by Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth to make a run for the U.S. Senate. Cullerton, of Villa Park, described Congress as a "millionaires club" and vowed to bring a "blue collar work ethic" and common sense to Washington. He will face a Hoffman Estates businessman in the Democratic primary.
Seven Illinois airports are winners of the “2015 Airport of the Year” award by the Illinois Department of Transportation. For a wide variety of categories, Poplar Grove Airport and six others were recently recognized at the Illinois Aviation Conference, held in Rockford. These highly-regarded airports were acknowledged for their accomplishments throughout the year, including an outstanding partnership with the State of Illinois and the commitment to customer safety and satisfaction.

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