Inside:
- Bill would get professional licensing back on track
- Bills from Galesburg Cottage Hospital
- First weekend in firearm deer harvest shows increase
- Reporting official corruption
Bill passes to get Illinois’ professional licensing back on track
Over a million Illinoisans need professional licenses of some kind in order to do their jobs. Most of these licenses are handled by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). The agency is currently transitioning from a paper-based process to an electronic system, but the change has been challenging, and it has led to long delays for many Illinoisans who have applied for a license.
IDFPR has been using and old software system that is making rapid turnarounds of license applications almost impossible. As a result, many Illinoisans who need these licenses are having to wait weeks or months to be licensed or renewed. In some cases this means they cannot work until the state agency processes their application.
Last month the General Assembly passed House Bill 2394 to reform the licensing process. IDFPR must fast-track its procurement process to purchase and build out a new software system. The bill gives the agency a series of deadlines it must comply with. The new system must be purchased within 90 days of the bill taking effect, and must be sufficient to handle the more than 100 separate professions that IDFPR licenses within 180 days. It must be secure and protecting against hacking. IDFPR can look to the many other states in the nation which issue professional licenses, but which have not encountered the same problems as Illinois.
Bills from Galesburg Cottage Hospital
I received several calls and messages regarding a bill from Galesburg Cottage Hospital. I reached out to Attorney General Raoul’s office and was provided the following information.
If you receive a statement or bill from Galesburg Cottage Hospital, you should file a complaint with the AG’s office. When you file the complaint, also upload a copy of the documentation you received. The AG’s staff will review and as appropriate, reach out to the hospital to mediate the claim.
The health complaint process can be found here.
The form is located here.
First weekend of firearm deer season shows increase
During the opening weekend of firearm deer season in Illinois hunters reported taking 53,348 deer, according to figures from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The number represented a 2% increase from the same period last year. Breechloading firearms are no longer the only way to take deer (archery, for example), the two firearm weekends tend to be the most intense portions of the deer hunt in Illinois each year.
Nonstandard firearm hunting periods cover antlerless-only deer, localized chronic wasting disease deer, and the muzzleloading weekend of December 8 through December 10. Each specialized hunting period has its own rules, time periods, and localities. IDNR operates a website with updates on the remaining deer hunts and hunting periods of the 2023-24 deer hunting season.
State Police introduce online form for reporting corruption
It’s no secret that Illinois has a long-standing problem with public corruption. Four of our last eleven governors have served time, and countless lower-level elected officials have been convicted or are awaiting trial on some form of corruption charges. Former House Speaker Mike Madigan’s trial is scheduled to begin in April.
Now citizens have a direct way of reporting allegations of corruption to authorities, thanks to an online citizen complaint form set up by the Special Investigations Unit of the Illinois State Police. The State Police require the reporting of the name and title of the person being reported, the county where the alleged incident took place and a summary of what happened. Those submitting complaints do not have to leave their names or addresses, but they must submit a phone number or email address for follow-ups from authorities.
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