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Administration pushes back hard against dark allegations by Senate GOP

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* On its face, this looks pretty ominous…

A trio of downstate Republican senators raised questions Thursday about whether money to help troubled downstate youth was improperly funneled to Chicago-area organizations.

In a Statehouse news conference, the GOP lawmakers leveled a fresh set of charges against Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who has been on the hot seat in recent months after an audit released this year blasted a 2010 anti-violence program, leading to multiple federal probes.

At issue is $5 million the Quinn administration transferred this summer out of a program for at-risk youth. Republicans say some of the money was then paid to organizations caught up in the 2010 probe of the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. […]

Republicans allege Quinn has created a slush fund to help him in his race against Republican businessman Bruce Rauner.

“We’ve seen this pattern before: the governor pumps millions of dollars into a Chicago-centric program in the weeks leading up to the November election. Enough is enough,” said state Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon.

* More from Ormsby…

Barickman charged that the $5 million transferred from the Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Services program, which provides community-based individualized services to at-risk youth and their families, resulted in “budget cuts” at Downstate social service agencies.

“It’s frustrating to inform our local providers that their budgets are being cut so that Governor Quinn can increase funding to some of the same deficient providers who were identified in the NRI audit, including one group that owes the state hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Barickman said.

* More from the Sun-Times…

Last spring, state lawmakers appropriated $16.5 million to the Department of Human Services to fund a state-wide program for at-risk youth called Comprehensive Community Based Youth Services.

Barickman said that at some point after July 1, Quinn’s administration moved nearly $4.5 million to the state Criminal Justice Information Authority, which in turn allotted nearly $2 million of that total to five different NRI providers, including Chicago Area Project.

Chicago Area Project was responsible for nearly $2 million in programming in West Garfield Park under NRI and hired the husband of Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown at a six-figure salary to oversee that programming. State taxpayers covered the $146,401 Cook received in salary and fringe benefits over two years for his NRI-related work.

* Bruce Rauner jumped into the fray this morning…

Bruce Rauner today called on Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to submit to an independent investigation of lawmaker allegations that his administration improperly funneled taxpayer money to a slush fund that is now paying groups linked to the Neighborhood Recovery Imitative, which is currently the subject of two federal criminal investigations.

“This isn’t a partisan issue; this is about about transparency and accountability,” Rauner said. “I urge the governor to submit to an independent investigation by a respected auditor like Bill Holland so the people of Illinois can find out the truth without politics getting in the way.”

* But the Chicago Area Project strongly objected to the GOP claims…

“CAP receives funding from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority for its ongoing youth violence prevention programming and has received funding from DHS for its youth services programming for the past 15 years. CAP has not received any new funding from DHS this year,” group spokesman Jennifer Hutchison said.

The group’s Criminal Justice Information Authority funding was for the non-profit’s summer youth violence prevention programming, and the contract ended August 30, Hutchison said.

* And so did the Quinn administration…

“This is false and ridiculous. As these legislators know, the defunct NRI program was shut down in 2012.”

* On background, the administration claimed that the $5 million was transferred to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in July to pay existing bills for this past summer’s community violence prevention program, which ended in August.

They also claimed that none of these Chicago-area non-profit organizations received any new or additional funding. The transfer was necessary, they said, because the comptroller’s office made technical changes about which appropriations could cover which programs. The grants also underwent a “rigorous” review process, they claimed.

They also claimed that the programs cited by the Republican legislators received the same level of funding they received the previous year. No local providers’ budgets were cut, they insisted.

And they provided an intergovernmental agreement that lays out the transfer of funds, which you can read yourself by clicking here.

* Back to Ormsby…

Reporters at the press conference pushed back on the GOP charges of “election year politics” by questioning their press conference as “election year politics”.

Barickman said that only Quinn was practicing “election year politics”.

* You can watch the full presser via our great pals at BlueRoomStream.com by clicking here.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 10:42 am

Comments

===Reporters at the press conference pushed back on the GOP charges of “election year politics” by questioning their press conference as “election year politics”.

Barickman said that only Quinn was practicing “election year politics”.===

“Your dining it”

“No they are!”

The train … is slowly heading to the brick wall, no brakes, and gaining steam.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 10:47 am
The GOP is claiming Downstate budget cuts. What were they? The administration says there were none.

The administration says it’s an accounting procedure that the comptroller should back up. Well, somebody ask her.

Rauner hasn’t explicitly called out NRI in any spots. I think i know why, but it’s curious, just the same.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 10:52 am
“doing it”

Stupid phone, lol.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 10:52 am
Quote from Quinn - “This is false and ridiculous. As these legislators know, the defunct NRI program was shut down in 2012.”

ICJIA’s site - “Non-Appropriated Fund 318 NRI (318 NRI)

These funds are to be used on an as-needed basis for programs and projects to support the Community Violence Prevention Programs efforts.

Click a link below to see a list of allocations made for this grant program by state fiscal year:

[ 2013 | 2014 ]” http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public/index.cfm?metaSection=forms&metapage=grants
If it was shut down in 2012, then why does ICJIA’s site show expenditures in 2013 and 2014?

Unrelated to current round of allegations, but this pretty clearly shows program wasn’t shut down in 2012.

Comment by mcb Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 10:54 am
Those who favor cuts to the Human Services budget overall, sure do scream when any expected increases in Human Services funding fail to arrive in their home districts. Spending controls are always for everybody else.

For these three yahoos, is any lack in local funding from the state now automatically because it was “improperly funneled … to a slush fund?”

Rauner shouldn’t comment about something he knows nothing about.

Comment by walker Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 10:56 am
Also too -

Those who favor cuts to the Education budget overall, sure do scream when cuts to the Education budget impact their home districts.

Funny how that works . . .

Comment by Bill White Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 10:57 am
===this pretty clearly shows program wasn’t shut down in 2012===

I don’t catch your drift. A specific fund is still in operation and that means NRI wasn’t shut down?

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:00 am
“This isn’t a partisan issue; this is about about transparency and accountability,” Rauner said.

This guy is a laugh a minute. I didn’t even know Bruce knew the meaning of transparency and accountability!

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:08 am
Keeping it in the news, is what I’m seeing.

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:10 am
I think Quinn just got caught.

Comment by Cassidy Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:11 am
@ Bill White and Walker= so true! Really disappointing to hear this nonsense from Barickman.

Comment by JS Mill Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:15 am
They called it an “NRI clone” set up for this election. Still false.

Comment by walker Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:16 am
Did it look odd with Barrickman in the middle being so much shorter than both Righter and LaHood? I kept thinking ventriloquist act.

Comment by DuPage Bard Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:16 am
Hearing from providers who are beneficiaries to the $54 spent as part of Governor Quinn’s Neighborhood Recovery Act is like hearing from kids who stole from the cookie jar. They have no credibility at this point and are “objecting” out of self-interest and political expediency. Begone, providers! Rauner and the three Senate GOP leaders are right to keep the spotlight on this unseemly scandal. Guess buying off Black and Brown vote was worth it, huh? #shameless

Comment by Black Ivy Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:18 am
Barickman might want to stand on a box next time. The visuals of the press conference were a bit, um … odd.

Seriously. Did no one look through a viewfinder and think: okay, there’s something that doesn’t look good here? We can fix this with a milk crate.

Comment by Frenchie Mendoza Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:20 am
Perhaps we can ask the Comptroller who picks names for funds?
And Mitt is about to learn the attacking CAP is a very poor idea….he may need to make a much bigger rental payment to the credit union and up the Hartman/Meeks fee too

Comment by CircularFiringSquad Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:20 am
if five of the same NRI groups are funded in this “program”, it should be a simple matter for them (or the admin, or topinka) to produce the grant agreement they are operating under. then look at the vouchers to see what we paid for, and if it matches the intended purpose.

any grantee should be scrutinized, but especially the ones w a fast and loose history with the NRI.

Comment by Langhorne Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:21 am
This seems like a simple investigative thing. Either Topinka can look into it or anyone do a FOIA request on the matter.

Comment by East Central Illinois Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:27 am
“In FY12, $51,415,938 of those remaining funds had been expended, resulting in a
remaining balance of $14,547,024 to roll over for FY13. In FY13, $8,749,128 of the
remaining funds had been expended prior to the Authority being consolidated with the
Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA).” I.e., the money was from the “NRI” account but the money didn’t go to NRI, it went to ICJIA. http://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/Compliance-Agency-List/VPA/FY12-VPA-Comp-Full.pdf

Comment by Skeptic Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:28 am
These guys should be reported to the Humane Society for beating a dead horse.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:30 am
Rich,
Just as an example, this is from 2013 –>http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public/index.cfm?metastory=10194
Pretty clearly says NRI.

Comment by mcb Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:36 am
===this is from 2013===

Doesn’t have a date on it and the links don’t work on the page.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:41 am
Brady and Barickman have both consistently failed to bring home anything for their districts - and to listen to Barickman whine about cutting social services is laughable ! It is obvious they are using this for election year politics - as the reporters astutely pointed out. This issue is Rauner’s October Surprise - and unless formal charges are made in the next few weeks the surprise fizzles.

Comment by Mcleanic Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:55 am
== Well, somebody ask her. ==

Exactly! There are statements by both sides here that should be easy enough to verify.

Was $4.5 million pulled from the Dept of Human Services ==Comprehensive Community Based Youth Services== program and moved ==to the state Criminal Justice Information Authority== ? Did this actually harm the downstate programs? Was this actually a routine procedure that had no impact on other programs?

Plenty of accusations reported in these stories without many supporting facts either way.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 12:10 pm
== Reporters at the press conference pushed back on the GOP charges of “election year politics” by questioning their press conference as “election year politics”. ==

This is great.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 12:12 pm
The Senate GOP announces to the world that their hearings headed up by Sen. Barrickman may as well be labeled Bozo’s Circus. It’s pretty obvious that politics are what they have in mind.

Comment by Tim Snopes Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 12:12 pm
FKA@ 12:10. Yes the money was transferred from the Dept. of Human Services from the Comprehensive Community Based Youth Services program to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

Comment by anon Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 12:26 pm
If I were Quinn I wouldn’t release one more grant until after the election. Anything he does in this regard is going to be followed by accusations of wrongdoing. He set himself up for this with the NRI thing and the Republicans are taking full advantage of it.

Comment by Demoralized Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 2:21 pm
I never cease to be amazed at how politicians try to make a game of “gotcha” out of what is never a serious discussion of public policy. All of this seems to be no exception. If there was fraud, then it should be handled by the appropriate legal entities,that is State’s Attorney, U.S. District Attorney, etc. These maneuvers only support the idea that politics is just like a high school basketball game.

Comment by Old Sarge Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 2:30 pm
==- Black Ivy - Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 11:18 am:==

If fraud and abuse is the problem, shouldn’t Bruce Rauner keep his trap shut? After all, some of the largest political corruption and financial scandals in American history happend under his supposedly watchful eyes.

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 2:42 pm
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 2:42 pm:

Last time I checked, Rauner is not an elected official nor is he the governor of a great State. Business practices differ greatly from government operations. Depicting Rauner’s business dealings as equivalent to Governor Quinn willful ignorance while at the wheel as his top officials issued $54 million of taxpayers’ money to “deserving” providers (who coincidentally were primarily Black and Brown in challenged communities) in return for votes is improper. Rauner is a shrewd business man who ensured that his businesses were profitable on his own dime; Governor Quinn used your money and mine to “encourage” minorities to vote for him. This is unacceptable on every level. #prayingthatmypeopleseethelightintime

Comment by Black Ivy Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:36 pm