Bill Text: IL SR0063 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Calls upon the U.S. Attorney or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or both, to investigate specified matters involving the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-03-31 - Resolution Adopted [SR0063 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2011-SR0063-Introduced.html
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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Recent media reports indicate that since 2008, | ||||||
| 3 | nearly $10 million in State taxpayer funds has been awarded in | ||||||
| 4 | workers' compensation payments to more than 230 employees at | ||||||
| 5 | the Menard Correctional Center who contended they were injured | ||||||
| 6 | through repetitive trauma caused by operating manual cell | ||||||
| 7 | locking mechanisms; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Recent media reports also indicate that | ||||||
| 9 | approximately 25% of the arbitrators employed by the Illinois | ||||||
| 10 | Workers' Compensation Commission have received workers' | ||||||
| 11 | compensation awards, including nearly $50,000 to the | ||||||
| 12 | arbitrator who approved many of the workers' compensation | ||||||
| 13 | settlements to the employees at the Menard Correctional Center; | ||||||
| 14 | and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Workers' Compensation | ||||||
| 16 | Commission, many of these payments were "uncontested | ||||||
| 17 | settlements" and information regarding the payments or process | ||||||
| 18 | of awarding the payments is not included in a database | ||||||
| 19 | maintained by the Commission, therefore, the public did not | ||||||
| 20 | have access to information regarding these awards; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, Recent media reports indicate that due to a tragic | ||||||
| 22 | 2007 crash involving then-State trooper Matt Mitchell, he is | ||||||
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| 1 | seeking workers' compensation because of injuries suffered in | ||||||
| 2 | the wreck; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Recent media reports also indicate that Illinois | ||||||
| 4 | Workers' Compensation Commission arbitrator Jennifer Teague | ||||||
| 5 | took steps to conceal a public hearing regarding the workers' | ||||||
| 6 | compensation claim by Matt Mitchell from the public; therefore, | ||||||
| 7 | be it
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| 8 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 9 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we call upon the U.S. | ||||||
| 10 | Attorney or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or both, to | ||||||
| 11 | conduct an investigation of awards approved by the Illinois | ||||||
| 12 | Workers' Compensation Commission for claims filed by employees | ||||||
| 13 | of Menard Correctional Center and arbitrators employed by the | ||||||
| 14 | Commission from 2008 to the present; and be it further
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| 15 | RESOLVED, That we call upon the U.S. Attorney or the | ||||||
| 16 | Federal Bureau of Investigation, or both, to conduct an | ||||||
| 17 | investigation of actions by Jennifer Teague regarding a hearing | ||||||
| 18 | for a workers' compensation claim by former State trooper Matt | ||||||
| 19 | Mitchell; and be it further
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| 20 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Workers' Compensation | ||||||
| 21 | Commission and any other State agency, entity, or person that | ||||||
| 22 | may have information relevant to this investigation shall | ||||||
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| 1 | cooperate fully and promptly with the process; and be it | ||||||
| 2 | further
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| 3 | RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be
presented to | ||||||
| 4 | the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District | ||||||
| 5 | of Illinois and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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