Pay-to-Play: Aurora Austriaco Thrives, Human Services Go Without
Earns $1.4 Million in State Contracts for Generous Blagojevich Donations

October 5, 2008

Des Plaines, IL -– As human service agencies endure drastic state funding cuts, Aurora Austriaco and her Chicago law firm have been awarded $1.4 million in state contracts in exchange for generous campaign contributions to Rod Blagojevich.

“If you donate $100,000 or more to Rod Blagojevich’s pay-to-play corruption machine, I guess you earn VIP state contract treatment,” Rep. Mulligan said. “The more Austriaco donates, the faster state contracts come her way, while critical human service agencies are told to simply go without.”

Aurora Austriaco and her law partners at Peck, Bloom, Austriaco & Mitchell LLC, have donated $109,495 to Rod Blagojevich’s political campaign since September 2002, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Rod Blagojevich has rewarded Austriaco generously with $1.46 million in state contracts beginning in 2004, according to Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes’ reports.

In this fiscal year (FY 2009), Austriaco was awarded $643,750 in state contracts, while advocates for treatment centers, crisis centers and other human service programs pleaded for state resources. Additionally, medical doctors, pharmacists and nursing homes continue to face a daunting, 42-day waiting cycle in the comptroller’s office after their bills have been held by the state human service agencies for months, resulting in a minimum of a six-month wait to receive payment. Her pay to play contracts continue to add to the $1.6 billion in backlogged Medicaid reimbursements.

“Human service agencies have laid off employees, reduced their hours and even considered closing their doors because Rod Blagojevich refuses to honor the state’s financial commitment to them,” Rep. Mulligan said. “Campaign contributions cannot be a prerequisite to receive state resources in Illinois.”