News Jan 16- Jan 28

http://www.ag.state.il.us/pressroom/2006_01/20060124.htmlIn the article linked above, "MADIGAN, BROSNAHAN, MALONEY: NEW LEGISLATION WOULD PROTECT NURSING HOME RESIDENTS FROM CONVICTED FELONS AND SEX OFFENDERS" Attorney General LisaMadigan, who is seeking re-election, receives some excellent press (as one would expect, since it is linked to her own website) in terms of the issues she claims to stand for. The article discusses "An Act to Protect Vulnerable Adults"--a bill that Madigan, along with Brosnahan and Maloney, is spear heading. The bill would require that nursing homes conduct background checks on residents and report any convicted felons or sex offenders to the Illinois Department of Public Health, who would assess the risk of the individual and decide how to handle the resident's case from there. All deaths of nursing home residents would also have to be reported to the county coroner for investigation to prevent cases of abuse or neglect at the facilities. The article includes statements from the legislators involved and from heads of various citizens' organizations, including an Arkansas coroner whose state passed a similar bill with what he describes as great success.This is incredibly positive press for Madigan. Her platform is her promise to protect the citizens of Illinois and here she is shown acting on that promise in a very tangible way--this bill provides for specific actions that need to be taken and the success of the bill will be measurable. The positive statements from the citizens' groups provide support for her. The fact that she is spear heading this bill with both a democrat (Maloney) and a republican (Brosnahan) shows her ability to work with and protect the interests of members of both political parties.Madigan was also in the news on January 16. The Suntimes ran the article "Madigan Offers Help for Identity Theft Victims" (http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/idtheft16.html). The article covered her decision to create two positions for the purpose of helping people who have been victims of identity theft rebuild their credit. The two employees will serve as advocates people can reach by phone who will help the people deal with creditors and police. The article was again a positive one that showed Madigan to be using her current office to act on her campaign promise to protect consumers. The article did mention that the two positions would require salaries of $50 to $60 thousand per year, but said the money would come from Madigan's budget for consumer protection. The article did leave me wondering whether just two employess would be able to handle what potentially could become a pretty voluminous job, but until we see how that plays out, it seems that Madigan once again acted on her campaign promises and made a move that would appeal to and be in the interests of many Illinois residents, regardless of political party.