Patricia Reid Lindner

October 2007

It has been difficult to write an end-of-session wrap up when the legislature has continued to remain in session due to the feud between the Governor and Democrat leaders. As I write this, we have not passed the Budget Implementation bill, addressed mass transit or dealt with the Capital Budget. Since these issues have been widely discussed in the press already, I thought I would write about a project in which I am currently involved.

Last week my eleven female, Republican colleagues and I participated in a tour called Women's Voices Illinois. The idea came about while we continued in Springfield throughout July, August, September and October and had the opportunity to sit down and really talk. During our discussions, we realized that we needed to let people know that we are interested in public policy and are not part of the gamesmanship currently being played in Springfield . We went on this tour in an effort to listen to women's concerns and interests and met with a variety of groups that included female executives at the Board of Options in Chicago, a young mother's group at the College of DuPage and employees at Blue Cross-Blue Shield in Quincy , Illinois . We all appreciated the opportunity to listen and felt that the women we met were very engaged and ready to talk. There were some great articles in the Beacon during the last week about the Women's Voices Illinois Listening Tour, so I wanted to take this opportunity to fill you in on several of the issues we discussed.

We heard from many social service agencies and not-for-profit groups who serve our communities in the areas of mental health, substance abuse and developmental disabilities. The switch from grant funding to fee-for-service payments has been problematic for these agencies. Previously the agencies received their operating funds upfront from the state through a grant but now they must bill for payments after providing the service, which has proven to be very burdensome. This fee-for-service system would work if the state would pay its bills on time, but agencies now have to wait upwards of three months to receive their payments, which is making it very difficult for them to pay for their basic utilities. These agencies are also having trouble hiring qualified employees because they cannot pay a living wage. They have not had a cost of living adjustment for several years and cannot compete with state agencies and private companies that have good healthcare and other benefits.

Domestic violence shelters are also experiencing a shortage of funds and late payments. They have had to turn away women in dire situations, due to the lack of funds to hire personnel to man the shelters and the inability to pay a living wage as a result of decreases in state funding.

Several years ago there was an initiative to move mental health clients from institutions to the community by decreasing the number of available beds and allowing that money to follow the client through the Community Care System (CCS). The problem is that the money for the clients was put into the General Revenue Fund and the state has not properly funded the Community Care System. The most disturbing thing is that now there are violent people out on the street with nowhere to go who belong in institutions. The CCS does not have the programs or funds to assimilate these people. With the decrease in the number of beds in institutions, the only solutions currently available are nursing homes, which are an improper placements for violent people or private hospital placements, which are only short-term.

Education at all levels was a big concern to women throughout the state. Women were troubled, not only by the lack of state funding, but also by the quality of programs and lack of supplies. Equality in educational opportunities is also a big concern. We also heard from working women about the rising costs of state universities. They talked about the fact that middle class parents are being squeezed because they are not wealthy enough to send their children to college without help, but their income is not low enough to qualify for grants and scholarships.

Because women traditionally make the healthcare decisions for their immediate families and aging parents, quality healthcare was an issue everywhere we went. Employers and employees are worried about the cost of coverage, while parents fear their adult children will not be able to obtain good coverage. While meeting with one hundred nurses, doctors and other staff members at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, we were informed about the nursing shortage in Illinois and the need to pass legislation to create an interstate compact so qualified out-of-state nurses can work in Illinois .

This tour was an incredible opportunity. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to women from throughout the state and appreciated hearing their views. It is encouraging to know that so many women are interested and eager to become more involved in government. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to State Representative Ruth Munson for working so hard to arrange the tour.

If you would like to have your voice heard, please offer your ideas at www.womensvoicesillinois.com or phone me directly: (630) 466-9791.



							Lindner's Opinions
							Lindner's Opinions
						October 2007 It has been difficult to write an end-of-session wrap up when the legislature has continued to remain in session due to the feud between the Governor and Democrat leaders. As I write this, we have not passed the Budget Implementation bill, addressed mass transit or dealt with the Capital Budget. Since these issues have been widely discussed in the press already, I thought I would write about a project in which I am currently involved. Last week my eleven female, Republican colleagues and I participated in a tour called Women's Voices Illinois. The idea came about while we continued in Springfield throughout July, August, September and October and had the opportunity to sit down and really talk. During our discussions, we realized that we needed to let people know that we are interested in public policy and are not part of the gamesmanship currently being played in Springfield . We went on this tour in an effort to listen to women's concerns and interests and met with a variety of groups that included female executives at the Board of Options in Chicago, a young mother's group at the College of DuPage and employees at Blue Cross-Blue Shield in Quincy , Illinois . We all appreciated the opportunity to listen and felt that the women we met were very engaged and ready to talk. There were some great articles in the Beacon during the last week about the Women's Voices Illinois Listening Tour, so I wanted to take this opportunity to fill you in on several of the issues we discussed. We heard from many social service agencies and not-for-profit groups who serve our communities in the areas of mental health, substance abuse and developmental disabilities. The switch from grant funding to fee-for-service payments has been problematic for these agencies. Previously the agencies received their operating funds upfront from the state through a grant but now they must bill for payments after providing the service, which has proven to be very burdensome. This fee-for-service system would work if the state would pay its bills on time, but agencies now have to wait upwards of three months to receive their payments, which is making it very difficult for them to pay for their basic utilities. These agencies are also having trouble hiring qualified employees because they cannot pay a living wage. They have not had a cost of living adjustment for several years and cannot compete with state agencies and private companies that have good healthcare and other benefits. Domestic violence shelters are also experiencing a shortage of funds and late payments. They have had to turn away women in dire situations, due to the lack of funds to hire personnel to man the shelters and the inability to pay a living wage as a result of decreases in state funding. Several years ago there was an initiative to move mental health clients from institutions to the community by decreasing the number of available beds and allowing that money to follow the client through the Community Care System (CCS). The problem is that the money for the clients was put into the General Revenue Fund and the state has not properly funded the Community Care System. The most disturbing thing is that now there are violent people out on the street with nowhere to go who belong in institutions. The CCS does not have the programs or funds to assimilate these people. With the decrease in the number of beds in institutions, the only solutions currently available are nursing homes, which are an improper placements for violent people or private hospital placements, which are only short-term. Education at all levels was a big concern to women throughout the state. Women were troubled, not only by the lack of state funding, but also by the quality of programs and lack of supplies. Equality in educational opportunities is also a big concern. We also heard from working women about the rising costs of state universities. They talked about the fact that middle class parents are being squeezed because they are not wealthy enough to send their children to college without help, but their income is not low enough to qualify for grants and scholarships. Because women traditionally make the healthcare decisions for their immediate families and aging parents, quality healthcare was an issue everywhere we went. Employers and employees are worried about the cost of coverage, while parents fear their adult children will not be able to obtain good coverage. While meeting with one hundred nurses, doctors and other staff members at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, we were informed about the nursing shortage in Illinois and the need to pass legislation to create an interstate compact so qualified out-of-state nurses can work in Illinois . This tour was an incredible opportunity. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to women from throughout the state and appreciated hearing their views. It is encouraging to know that so many women are interested and eager to become more involved in government. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to State Representative Ruth Munson for working so hard to arrange the tour. If you would like to have your voice heard, please offer your ideas at www.womensvoicesillinois.com or phone me directly: (630) 466-9791.