IllinoisOpenGovBlog

482 People, $225,678.72 in Funding

2010-03-09T17:03:26Z

In fiscal year 2009, the Village of Allendale, population 482, received $13,563.72 in "shared revenue payments" from the Department of Transportation, and a grant, number 06242002 (given in two installments on 8/20/2008 and 1/08/2009), worth $212,115.00 from the Department of Commerce.

Why did the state give the Village of Allendale $225,678.72 in 2009?

You can find this information by clicking on "Checks to Businesses & Individuals" and searching for "Village of Allendale" and "Allendale Village Treasurer Of" in the "vendor" section.

$570K on Registration Fees and Conference Expenses

2010-03-09T16:01:34Z

In 2007, 2008, and 2009, various state agencies spent a total of $574,759.74 on registration fees and other conference expenses. In 2008, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity spent the most with $93,402.96. In 2009 (by the time of our FOIA request), the Department of Transportation spent more than any other department with a total of $268,996.55. The table below breaks down the expenses by year and department.

There were nearly 500 entities that received payments for registration fees and conference expenses, including both reimbursements to state employees and payments to vendors. The three entities that received the largest payments were the University of Illinois ($46,455), Lincoln Land Community College ($44,080) and Learning Tree International ($33,145).

To find this information on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Boothrental Costs for ... Conf," "Conf Fee...," "Reg Fee ...," "Registratin Fee ...," "Registration & Conference Pymnts To Vendors," "Registration Fee ...," "Registratn Fee ...," and other similar categories. To download the information, click on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.

Department	Amount
2007	$1,200.00
Department of Veteran Affairs	$1,200.00
2008	$225,775.62
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	$93,402.96
Department of Healthcare and Family Services	$87,818.75
Department of Employment Security	$17,592.96
Department of Public Health	$16,900.00
Department of Veteran Affairs	$10,010.95
Governor's Office	$50.00
2009	$347,784.12
Department of Transportation	$268,996.55
Department on Aging	$27,498.00
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	$17,516.07
Department of Healthcare and Family Services	$13,629.00
Department of Human Rights	$7,305.75
Department of Veteran Affairs	$5,456.00
Department of Military Affairs	$3,550.00
Department of Employment Security	$3,248.75
Governor's Office	$350.00
Department of Labor	$234.00
Department of Financial and Professional Regulation	$0.00*
Grand Total	$574,759.74

*Expenses listed as $0 have been classified by their respective departments and are not available through the Freedom of Information Act.

Over $2,000 on Lighting at the Ethnic Village

2010-03-08T17:43:22Z

In 2008, the Department of Commerce gave B+B Electric Incorporated $2,464.00 to provide electrical support for lighting at the Ethnic Village. The Ethnic Village is an attraction at the Illinois State Fair which provides fairgoers with the opportunity to "experience many cultural groups as they showcase the traditions of their countries as well as make available a wide variety of food with an international flair."

You can find this information by clicking on "Checks to Businesses & People" and searching for "Electrical Support for the Ethnic Village Lighting" in the "category of spending" section.

$60K for Educational and Instructional Materials and Supplies

2010-03-08T16:38:53Z

In 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), various state agencies spent $62,753.48 on educational and instructional materials and supplies. The departments that spent the most were the Department of Transportation ($41,626.94), the Department of Military Affairs ($15,011.70), and Department of Human Rights ($3,097.21). The table below breaks down the expenses by year and department.

There are 44 vendors listed for these expenses, and fourteen vendors received more than $1,000. The largest payments went to HMH Supplemental Publishers ($9,976.50), NovaTech Solutions ($9,550.00), and J J Keller & Associates Inc ($8,746.87).

To find these expenditures on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Educ & Instructional Materials," "Educational & Instructional Materials," "Educational and Instructional Materials &Supplies," "Educational and Instructional Materials& Supplies," and "Educational and Instructional Materials&Supplies."

Department	Amount
2008	$2,886.94
Department of Veteran Affairs	$2,845.06
Department of Healthcare and Family Services	$41.88
2009	$59,866.54
Department of Transportation	$41,626.94
Department of Military Affairs	$15,011.70
Department of Human Rights	$3,097.21
Department of Veteran Affairs	$130.69
Department of Financial and Professional Regulation	$0.00*
Grand Total	$62,753.48

*Expenses showing $0 have been classified by their respective departments and were not available through the Freedom of Information Act.

$50K on UI Benefits Handbook

2010-03-05T16:39:55Z

In 2009, the Department of Employment Security spent $50,870.50 on the IDES Unemployment Insurance Benefits Handbook. According to the IDES website, the UI Benefits Handbook "provides detailed instructions on how job seekers can apply for unemployment insurance benefits." There are two vendors for the expenses. Labor Tech Printing Inc of Joliet, Illinois received $30,979.92, and the GH Printing Company Inc of Downers Grove, Illinois received two payments totaling $19,890.58.

To find these payments on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Sn 4446 Ui Benefits H&book -." To download the data, click on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.

Over $3,000 for an Economic Forecasting Subscription

2010-03-05T16:16:02Z

In 2008, the Illinois Department of Employment Security paid Global Insight (USA) Inc. $3,363.50 for a subscription to their economic forecast. Global Insight (USA) Incorporated is a forecasting company based in Lexington, Massachusetts, which provides economic, political, and financial modeling and analysis. The subscription provides the state "access to databases of economic information, supplemented by an extensive collection of financial data."

You can find this information by clicking on "Checks to Businesses & People" and searching for "Global Insight (USA) Inc" in the "vendor" section.

$1 Million on Delivery of Drugs

2010-03-04T18:28:50Z

In 2008, the Department of Public Health paid Procare Pharmacy in Chicago $1,048,144.44 for "Delivery Of Drugs." The IDPH made two payments to Procare Pharmacy: one for $300,892.19 and another for $747,252.25.

According to the State Comptroller's OpenBook site, Procare Pharmacy has received $23,804,053.21 from the Department of Corrections and the Department of Public Health from fiscal year 2003 to fiscal year 2010, including $1,508,908.53 in FY2008 and $4,375,000 in FY2009. The OpenBook site does not list a category of spending for the expenses.

To find the Procare Pharmacy expenses on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Delivery Of Drugs."

Over $10,000 for Information on the Labor Force

2010-03-04T17:33:38Z

In 2008 and 2009, the Department of Employment Security spent $3,487.30 on EI&A subscriptions, $133.68 on EI&A travel, and $10,766.90 on EI&A computer programs. The Economic Information and Analysis Division (EI&A) is a branch of Illinois Department of Employment Security which "offers a wide range of economic and demographic information related to the local, regional, and statewide labor force." Many of these payments went to newspaper and publishing companies such as, McGraw-Hill and The Peoria Journal Star Inc.

You can find this information by clicking on "Checks to Businesses & People" and searching for "CMS/BCCS CPU charges EI&A Prog," "EI&A Subscriptions," and "EI&A Travel" in the "category of spending" section.

Over $2 Million for Prairie State Power Company

2010-03-03T16:31:32Z

On January 9, 2009, the Prairie State Generating Company in Washington County, Illinois received a $2,000,000 grant from the Department of Commerce. This grant comes three months after the company received a grant worth $340,000. The Prairie State Generation Company (PSGC) "is the largest partnership of municipal and cooperative power agencies in the Midwest."

You can find this information by clicking on the "Checks to Businesses & People" and searching for "Prairie State Generating Co" in the "vendor" section.

Governor's DC Office Expenses

2010-03-03T16:08:29Z

In fiscal year 2009 (up to the time of our FOIA request), the Governor's Office spent $104,188.63 on rent to the State Services Organization in Washington, DC. During that time frame, the Governor's Office also paid the SSO $5,911.36 for parking, $3,391.44 for telephone charges, $457.34 for "N/A," and $232 for internet. The total of these charges and rent comes to $114,180.77.

According to the State Services Organization website, the SSO "manages the 225,000 square feet of office space that make up the Hall of States." The Hall of States is "located just blocks from the U.S. Capitol and Union Station" and "is home to many Washington offices of the fifty states, U.S. territories and associations of state officials."

To find these expenditures on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and enter "State Services Organization" into the vendor field. To download the data, click on the CSV or Excel icon below the search results.

$46K for Tele-Serve Brochures

2010-03-02T18:38:29Z

In 2008, the Department of Employment Security spent $46,401.16 on brochures for Tele-Serve. The most recent Tele-Serve brochure is available online in English and Spanish. According to the online brochure, Tele-Serve is the "telephone express line" that allows individuals filing for unemployment insurance to "'certify' to [their] eligibility for benefits," "reopen a claim for unemployment insurance," "check the status of [their] unemployment claim," "request federal income tax form 1099G," and "obtain other IDES information" by telephone.

The payments were made to Illinois Graphics Inc of Bloomington, Illinois. According to their website, they are "an award winning commercial printer serving local, regional and national markets," and they "specialize in hard to print communication pieces."

To find this data on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Sn 4312 Tele-Serve Brochure -." To download the data, click the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.

$1 Million Grant for A Siemens Factory in Elgin

2010-03-02T16:21:56Z

In 2008, the Department of Commerce gave Siemens Energy & Automation a $1,000,000.00 grant. This grant is part of a $5.7 million dollar funding commitment by the state to help finance the construction of a second plant for Siemens' wind energy business, in Elgin, Illinois. The plant was projected to create an additional 350 jobs in Elgin.

You can find this information by clicking on the "Checks to Businesses and Individuals" section and searching for "Siemens Energy & Automation" in the "vendor" section.

Over $100K to Vintage Tech Recyclers Inc

2010-03-01T16:13:16Z

In 2008, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity paid Vintage Tech Recyclers Inc. a total of $113,270 as part of three separate grants. According to their website, Vintage Tech Recyclers Inc. in Plainfield, Illinois "is an asset recovery and responsible recycling company." They state that their "main focus is keeping electronics out of landfills and helping companies recover some of their electronic assets in large quantities."

To find these expenditures on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and enter "Vintage Tech Recyclers" in the vendor field.

Over $5,000 for a Christmas Market

2010-03-01T15:45:33Z

In 2008, the Department of Commerce gave the Carlinville Christmas Market Foundation (CMF) a grant worth $5,325.41. The CMF is a non-profit organization formed in 2006 that produces the annual Carlinville Christmas Market and aims to make it the "premier holiday event in central Illinois." The purpose of the Christmas Market is to attract guests to Carlinville and promote local economic development by showcasing "what is exciting, enticing, and unique in Central Illinois."

You can find this information by clicking on the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and searching for "Carlinville Christmas Market" in the "vendor" section.

Over $4 Million in Attorney Fees

2010-02-26T17:03:55Z

In 2009, the Department of Transportation spent $4,258,997.92 on attorneys and related legal fees. The biggest recipients of these funds were Holland & Knight LLP, which got $562,334.95; Freeborn and Peters LLP, $354,851.97; and Burke Burns Ellison & Pinelli, which received $230,307.89 from the Department of Transportation. All told, twelve firms received more then $100,000 each in 2009, for a total of $2,594,344.09 in payments from the state.

The majority of this spending ($2,812,752.08) was for "Attorney Fees-Highway & Related Construction." The remaining payments were for general attorney and legal fees.

The Office of the Comptroller also provides a list of all the contracts Illinois has paid or holds with law firms.

You can find this information by clicking on the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and searching for "Attorney Fees-Highway & Related Construction," "Attorney Fees- Grants and Awards," "Combined Settlement/Attorney Payments," and "Legal Fees" in the "category of spending" section.

Category of Spending	$ Amount
Attorney Fees-Grants and Awards	2032.17
Attorney Fees-Highway & Related Construction	2812752.08
Combined Settlement/Attorney Payments	496348.4
Legal Fees	947865.27
Grand Total	4258997.92