Cavaletto: Supreme Court Wrong on Medical Malpractice

02/04/2010

Springfield, IL…. State Representative John Cavaletto (R – Salem) expressed shock and disappointment after the Illinois Supreme Court issued a decision today that will eliminate caps on medical malpractice lawsuit awards in the state. Cavaletto says he believes the decision will cause another wave of doctors leaving the state of Illinois for more reform-minded states.

“I am disappointed by today’s ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court,” Cavaletto said. “This decision is going to hurt access to health care in southern Illinois. Why would a doctor stay here? What protections do our health care providers have against frivolous lawsuits now?”

In 2005, the General Assembly passed legislation capping jury awards from doctors at $500,000 and hospitals at $1,000,000. Since the law passed, 5,000 more doctors were licensed in Illinois; three new insurance companies were offering coverage and 10 existing insurers dropped their rates by 5 to more than 30 percent.

“I agree wholeheartedly with Justice Karmeier’s dissent. I was in favor of his election to the Supreme Court because I believed in the driving force behind his campaign, which was the need for med-mal reform. The fight in 2005 was hard, but caps were eventually put in place. The caps were working. We had stemmed the tide of medical professionals leaving our state. Today’s decision is a big setback for the movement,” Cavaletto said.

General Assembly Scholarships Available for 107th District Residents

02/01/2010

Springfield, IL…. Representative John Cavaletto announced today that eight General Assembly Scholarships will be awarded by his district office in Salem.

To be eligible to apply for a General Assembly scholarship, an individual must reside in the 107th House Legislative District and plan to attend one of Illinois’ public universities as a full-time student.  Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply.  All scholarships are for one year only. Previous scholarship winners are not excluded from consideration. To verify that you live in the 107th district, please visit www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/selectsearchtype.aspx
Applicants may apply for scholarships that would apply to the following Illinois universities:

A one-year scholarship (including tuition and some fees) to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Western Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago State University and Governors State University.  For applicants who plan to attend then University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the one-year scholarship covers tuition, but no fees.

To be considered for the General Assembly scholarship a qualifying applicant must submit a completed application form as well as official transcripts of all high school and college work and three letters of recommendation. A panel of local educators and business leaders will review applications and provide scores based on a rubric that includes an evaluation of academic performance, financial need, and prior community service.

All comments and information received will be kept confidential.  Application forms are available at Representative Cavaletto’s District Office at 1370 West Main, Suite A in Salem and will be sent to all district high school guidance counselors and principals.  The application deadline is April 1, 2010.

Requests may also be made by emailing john@johncavaletto.com. A PDF form is also available on Representative Cavaletto’s website at www.johncavaletto.com. For further information, contact Representative Cavaletto’s district office at 618-548-9080.

Cavaletto: Quinn Speech Short on Solutions

01/13/2010

Springfield, IL…. Governor Pat Quinn delivered the annual “State of the State” speech before a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday. Quinn’s speech lasted more than an hour and covered topics ranging from traffic fatality rates to the conversion of soybeans into material to be used for the Shedd Aquarium roof.

“Illinois is facing a $14 billion budget deficit, and we have $4 billion worth of unpaid bills,” Cavaletto said. “The Governor might have touched on several topics during the speech today, but I didn’t hear much in the way of solutions for these huge problems.”

The 107^th district Representative described Quinn’s speech as more of a campaign promotion tool than a true accounting of the state of affairs in Illinois government. “I think the Governor is clearly concerned with covering topics that will help him get votes in the Primary election, and that is not surprising,” Cavaletto said.

“However, I expect the chief executive of the state of Illinois to provide details on his long term vision for solutions to our high unemployment rates, massive debt, and unpaid bills. People are losing their jobs and the most vulnerable people in our state are losing vital services because the state doesn’t pay its bills. I didn’t hear a plan to address these issues in this speech today,” Cavaletto said.

The State of the State speech is delivered each year in January by the Governor. Governor Quinn will deliver a speech on the state of Illinois’ budget later on in the legislative session.

Cavaletto Presents Library with Law Books

12/15/2009

Salem, IL…. On Tuesday, Rep. John Cavaletto presented Joyce Jackson, Director of the Centralia Regional Library District with a copy of the State of Illinois Compiled Statutes on Tuesday. The Illinois Compiled Statutes are a full account of all the laws that are currently on the books in the state of Illinois. Copies of these volumes of state laws can be obtained through Rep. Cavaletto’s office upon request.

Cavaletto Honors Local Athletes

12/15/2009

Salem, IL….On Tuesday, State Representative John Cavaletto visited Mt. Vernon High School to recognize the outstanding achievements of Senior Margo Richardson and Junior Stephanie Modert for their accomplishments during this fall’s IHSA State Cross Country Meet. Richardson placed second overall earning All State honors and Modert placed 26th, one place shy of achieving All State honors. The certificate also congratulates the athletes for their contribution to the Lady Rams’ 11th place team finish at the State Cross Country meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Pictured from left to right are: Stephanie Modert, Representative Cavaletto, Margo Richardson, and Mt. Vernon High School Principal Ron Daniels.

Cavaletto Honors Local Athletes

12/15/2009

Salem, IL…. On Tuesday, State Rep. John Cavaletto presented an Illinois House of Representatives Certificate of Congratulations to Tyler Detmer, quarterback for Breese Mater Dei’s football team for achieving All-State honors for his outstanding performance on the football field this past fall. Rep. Cavaletto also presented Mater Dei sophomore Ellen Toennies with an Illinois House of Representatives Certificate of Congratulations for achieving All-State honors for her outstanding performance running Cross Country for the Lady Knights earlier this fall.

Cavaletto Honors Local Horse Breeder

12/10/2009

Salem, IL…. Rep. Cavaletto is pictured here presenting Tom Hennigh of Salem with an official Illinois House of Representatives Certificate commemorating him for 50 years of American Quarter Horse breeding.
Tom Hennigh reached an important milestone this year. For fifty accumulative years, he has been raising American Quarter Horses.

Through the years Tom has not only worked with his own horses, but has worked to promote the entire Quarter Horse Industry. He was Public Relations Director for the Solid Gold and the International Livestock Show in Springfield, Illinois. He was a fund raiser for the Little Britches Rodeo and Benefit for Needy Children in Colorado Springs, Colorado. More recently he was an Investigator for the Bureau of County Fairs and Horse Racing in the state of Illinois, where he inspected over 900 head of horses at various farms, and did drug testing at state run races and authenticated winners. The AQHA not only verified that Tom made the Fifty Year Breeder Award program this year; they also told him something else. He is the first in the State of Illinois to do so.

Cavaletto Honors Local Woman

12/10/2009

Salem, IL…. Rep. John Cavaletto recently presented Olive Stroup, of Kell, with an official Illinois House of Representatives Certificate in commemoration of her 100th birthday. Mrs. Stroup is pictured here with Rep. Cavaletto, her nephew Robert Foster and his wife Leona.

Cavaletto to Seek 2nd House Term

10/27/2009

Salem, IL….State Representative John Cavaletto announced today that he will seek a 2nd term in the Illinois House. On Monday, Cavaletto filed nominating petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections, once again declaring his candidacy for the seat.

“Today I am announcing that I will run to retain my seat in the Illinois House,” Cavaletto said. “It has been an honor and privilege to represent the people of the 107^th district and I am looking forward to continuing the work that I have started.”

Cavaletto won election to the 107^th district representative seat in November 2008 and took the oath of office in January 2009. His first vote as State Representative was to affirm the impeachment of former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

In his first term, Cavaletto served as a member of the House’s Agriculture and Conservation Committee, Elementary and Secondary Education committee, Higher Education Appropriations Committee, Railroads Committee, Fire Protection Committee, and the Aging Committee. Most recently Rep. Cavaletto was named to the House and Senate Joint Task Force dealing with the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Fund in recognition of his efforts to protect the fund and restore it to solvency.

“I sponsored legislation to end the raids on the Leaking Underground Storage Tank fund and I worked with my colleagues to include $75 million in the capital bill to restore money that has been wrongfully taken from the fund. More than 100 jobs have been lost in my district alone because of the irresponsible raids on this fund during the last several years. I believe that dedicated funds should serve their intended purposes, so I am proud of the steps we have taken to return the LUST fund to solvency,” Cavaletto said.

Cavaletto said he is looking forward to continuing to serve the people of Marion, Jefferson, Clinton, and Fayette Counties. “I have learned a lot and enjoyed the privilege,” Cavaletto said. “I have seen the impeachment of a Governor, and passage of the first capital and infrastructure bill in Illinois in a decade. It has been an honor and most certainly a rewarding experience to serve the voters of my district as their representative.”

Cavaletto to Hold District Wide Traveling Office Hours

10/19/2009

Salem, IL…. State Representative John Cavaletto will be available to meet with constituents of the 107th district during traveling office hours throughout the district this week. The meetings are open to the public. However, constituents wishing to make an appointment with Rep. Cavaletto may call (618) 548-9080.

Rep. Cavaletto will be available at the following times in these locations.

-       Wednesday, October 21 at Kinmundy Village Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

-       Wednesday, October 21 at Carlyle City Hall from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

-       Thursday, October 22 at Patoka Village Halll from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

-       Thursday, October 22 at Mt. Vernon City Hall from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

-       Friday, October 23 at Breese City Hall from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

-       Friday, October 23 at Centralia City Hall from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

As always, Rep. Cavaletto’s office in Salem is open from 8:30 to 4:30 Monday through Friday. You may contact Representative Cavaletto through email at john@johncavaletto.com and by fax at (618) 548-9087. Visit www.johncavaletto.com for more information.