Governor Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda

The Turnaround Agenda  is business focused;  does not address social service issues;  could impact social services dramatically, - thru proposed cuts to services; - thru the Governor’s position that social service funding is “crowded out” by other expenses (i.e., pension system costs) - thru absence of attention. It is important for us to begin to understand the policy proposals we will encounter over the next four years.

The Turnaround Agenda - Economic Competitiveness and Job Growth Package - Pension Reform Package - Transforming Government Package - Taxpayer Protection and Property Tax Freeze Package

Economic Competitiveness and Job Growth Package  Workers Compensation/Minimum Wage Reform Causation, AMA Guidelines, Traveling Employee, Fee Schedule Reduction, Minimum Wage.  Unemployment Insurance Reform Amend the Unemployment Insurance Act with stronger fraud provisions and penalties; strengthen the requalification for regular benefits; redefine disqualifications for misconduct and voluntary quit provisions.  Lawsuit Reform Venue Reform, Restore Jury Composition, Joint and Several Liability Reform, Truth in Medical Expense Awards.  Local Employee Empowerment Zones Legislation to authorize “employee empowerment zones” (county, municipality, school district, or other unit of local government) giving workers the right to voluntarily join, or refrain from joining, a union.

Taxpayer Protection and Property Tax Freeze Package  Property Tax Freeze Freeze for two years with voter referendum process for change;  Prevailing Wage / Project Labor Agreements Reform prevailing wage requirement and eliminate project-labor agreements;  Local Collective Bargaining Give voters or local government boards the ability to determine if certain topics should be excluded from collective bargaining;  Municipal Bankruptcy Allow a municipality to restructure itself through the federal bankruptcy process; and  Apprenticeship Programs / Minority Participation in Construction Projects Provide more opportunity for minorities to participate in union apprenticeship programs and on public works construction projects.

Transforming Government Package  Term Limits Enacts 10-year term limits on members of the Illinois General Assembly  Fair Share Extends to Illinois state workers the same protections provided to federal workers by prohibiting the collection of fair share dues for those who choose to not join a union  Remove Conflicts of Interest in Campaign Contributions Closes a loophole that allows unions with state collective bargaining agreements to contribute to those who negotiate their contracts – just like the contribution ban on businesses with state contracts  Ethics Executive Order Codification Reforms the state’s revolving door provisions for senior members of the Administration, and strengthens gift and traveling restrictions  Comptroller/Treasurer Constitutional Amendment Merges the offices of the Illinois Comptroller and Treasurer

Pension Reform Package  Systems Impacted by Pension Reform Plan  State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS)  State Universities’ Retirement System (SURS)  Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS)  General Assembly Retirement System (GARS)  Benefit Changes (Tier 2) Preserves and protects all currently earned benefits to date; moves all future work into the Tier 2 pension plan;  Buyout,, Funding, Savings Provides an optional buyout option to reform cost-of-living adjustments in return for a 401(k)- style defined contribution plan; and  Pension Constitutional Amendment Proposes a Constitutional Amendment to remove ambiguity in future reforms.

The Turnaround Agenda How does the Turnaround Agenda affect us?  The next four years could be extremely tight financially.  We will need to show that we can save the state money.  We will need to focus on - additional programming areas (vocational programs, “workfare” concepts, stable housing to reduce Medicaid or institutional care. - efficiency and effectiveness - for some, survival. - for some, merger or affiliation.

The Turnaround Agenda This is hard to hear but necessary to be said. Our choice –  Make noise about the value of our service.  Explain to Lawmakers that we can save them money while we help people.  Look for ways to tell our story. - Legislator visits, letters to the editor, press releases, s, videos, facility tours, newspaper articles, phone calls, tweets, facebook posts, other, other, other. Think about it. - Get creative. Expect a long Legislative Session. Expect rising tension before a solution. Remember - Don’t Get Anxious! Get Active!