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Articles Tagged with Illinois

Gun-violence-protest-300x225A new bill has passed the Illinois General Assembly that will help make it easier for victims of gun violence to receive justice, and to protect Illinois residents before they experience the horrifying consequences of gun violence themselves. Both the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate have passed the Bill, and Governor J.B. Pritzker only needs to add his signature for the Bill to officially become law. Pritzker has already confirmed his intention to do so.

House Bill 218, also referred to as the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, aims to open gun manufacturers to civil lawsuits from the Illinois Attorney General and citizens of Illinois for marketing their products fraudulently or deceptively. The law specifically outlaws gun advertising, manufacture, or sale that encourages illegal paramilitary activity or targets children under 18.

Illinois’ Firearm Industry Responsibility Act intends to define the limits of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PCLAA) passed by the Bush Administration in 2005, which has been wrongfully used by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and lawmaking groups as a means of sheltering gun manufactures from any legal accountability or consequence when their guns are used for criminal activity.

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Note: These numbers have been updated as of  May 12, 2020.

With elderly residents and close living quarters, nursing homes are extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. As the coronavirus crisis continues to develop in Illinois, numbers are emerging showing that nursing homes account for about 50% of the state’s COVID-19  deaths. That number is not surprising when you consider that 410 nursing homes in the state have been affected by the virus.  Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, recognized that nursing homes would be vulnerable back in a March 12 statement, during which she prioritized restricting visits to nursing homes as a method of limiting the spread of coronavirus.

Despite Illinois banning the majority of visitors at nursing homes, the latest infection reports are still showing coronavirus on the rise in senior facilities. Daily news reports and infection data highlight the widespread problem of COVID-19 infections in Illinois nursing homes. Recently released data from the Illinois Department of Public Health shows that over 14,882 cases of coronavirus and 2400 deaths are linked to nursing homes in the state and the numbers continue to grow.  Hardest hit has been Cook County, which has reported 1350 nursing home-related deaths and multiple nursing homes with serious outbreaks. At least four other Illinois counties–including Will, DuPage, Lake, and Kane– have reported 500 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in long-term assisted care facilities.

The Collins Law Firm would like to congratulate founder and partner, Shawn Collins, for being nominated for a Lifetime Achievement honor as one of America’s Top 100 Attorneys for Illinois. Less than one-half percent of attorneys in the United States will receive this prestigious award. Shawn will join an elite list of nationally recognized lawyers from around the country, which includes many current and former presidents of major bar associations and attorney groups, and some of the best lawyers in Illinois. Only 100 attorneys in a state can hold the lifetime achievement award, and they are selected through a rigorous process.

Candidates for membership as one of America’s Top 100 Attorneys are initially nominated by elite peers or identified through third-party research. Nominees must then pass through a multi-phase screening process that includes more third party research and complex analysis that includes an attorney’s lifetime legal achievements, professional experience, case results and verdicts, peer reputation, client satisfaction, other honors and community impact, before being selected.

Shawn is honored to be included among the elite lawyers who have accepted a lifetime Achievement honor as one of America’s Top 100 Attorneys. As Shawn says: “My selection as a Top 100 Attorney is a great honor, of course, but one that must be shared with my wife and daughters, law partners, associates, and staff, as nothing I have accomplished as a lawyer would have been possible without their support and professionalism.”

hospice-1794351_1920.jpgAmong all the issues plaguing the state of Illinois, one very important issue has not gotten much press coverage until recently.

In February, the Chicago Tribune published an expose on Illinois’ troubled group homes for disabled adults and their failure to reduce abuse and neglect rates. In fact, the Tribune’s research found that, despite promises of reform, allegations of abuse and neglect reached a new high in 2017 of more than 3600 cases, according to Illinois’ Auditor General. Think about that: 3600 vulnerable, disabled adults suffering from abuse or neglect in group homes that we, the taxpayers, are paying for. It is unconscionable.

The Illinois Department of Human Services, which oversees the state’s group homes, does not dispute the findings of the Auditor General but says new reforms are planned which will address some of the issues. “For the first time, group homes will be ranked in a web-based scorecard, which includes inspection results and links to online copies of investigative findings involving abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation.”1 The state has also hired more investigators and plans to implement a system where families of group home residents automatically receive a copy of state investigations. We hope that, this time, they follow through on these proposed reforms, but why has it taken so long?

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