State Senator John O. Jones

SENATE WEEK IN REVIEW: MAY 14 - 18

MT. VERNON, IL - With less than two weeks left before the scheduled 2012 spring session, State Sen. John O. Jones (R-Mt. Vernon) said lawmakers have been busy approving legislation to be sent to Gov. Pat Quinn for consideration, while behind the scenes negotiations continue on the state’s most pressing issues: the budget, Medicaid and state pension reform.

On the critical issue of Medicaid reform, at week's end it appeared significant progress was being made toward closing a $2.7 billion gap in the program. Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno said a key objective of Senate Republicans is to enact reforms that will force the state to "cut up its Medicaid credit card" by reforming the controversial "Section 25" provisions in state law. Reforming this provision is critical to assuring that savings approved by the legislature actually materialize, by limiting the administration's ability to push off costs.

SENATE WEEK IN REVIEW: MAY 7 - 11

MT. VERNON, IL - The Illinois Senate considered several contentious bills this week, including a measure to reduce the healthcare subsidy for retired state employees, according to State Sen. John O. Jones (R-Mt. Vernon).

In other news, the Auditor General has issued another critical audit of the state’s College Illinois! pre-paid tuition program, and a recent survey of the nation’s top executives highlights the need to address Illinois’ fiscal woes.

On May 10, Illinois lawmakers took what proponents acknowledged was a difficult first step to bringing the state's pension system back to solvency with the approval of Senate Bill 1313. The legislation passed on a 31 - 20 vote.

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