* Then-Sen. Michael Frerichs did the same sort of thing. It’s standard fare for legislators running for either of those offices…

Deputy House Minority Leader Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) filed HJRCA 36 today to make state government more efficient and cost effective by eliminating the office of the Comptroller and moving the responsibilities to the office of the Treasurer.

Under Demmer’s proposal, the Treasurer would maintain the State’s central fiscal accounts and order payments into and out of state funds. The Treasurer would also be responsible for the safekeeping and investment of monies and securities as well as their disbursement. These functions are presently performed by two separate offices, the State Comptroller and the State Treasurer.

“Illinois taxpayers would be better served by having one office perform the duties of Comptroller and Treasurer,” Demmer said. “Reducing state government’s footprint and consolidating functions would achieve savings for taxpayers and streamline the fiscal operations of Illinois in a meaningful way. The late Judy Baar Topinka, who served separate terms in both offices, advocated for combining Comptroller and Treasurer into one position. We can honor her memory and reform an inefficient Madigan-era relic by acting now to let the people of Illinois have the final say on approving this reform later this year.”

The Illinois State Constitution adopted in 1970 created separate offices of Comptroller and Treasurer. Combining them requires passage of a constitutional amendment, which needs a three-fifths majority vote of the General Assembly to place the question on the next General Election ballot for Illinois voters to approve.

Representative Demmer has consistently filed legislation to combine the two offices, but has been blocked by Democrats unwillingness to advance common sense reform proposals. In the 101st General Assembly Demmer filed HJRCA 22; in the 100th General Assembly he filed HJRCA 25; and in the 99th General Assembly he was sponsor of Leader Durkin’s effort to combine the offices in HJRCA 3.

Several neighboring states have already successfully combined the operations of separate fiscal offices for efficiency and savings including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. In Illinois the merger has been estimated to save taxpayers up to $12 million annually and is supported by government efficiency advocates like The Civic Federation.

Representative Demmer serves Illinois’ 90th District which includes portions of Lee, Ogle, DeKalb and LaSalle Counties.

* Press release…

To improve convenience and accessibility for working people, state licenses from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation would be issued in four weeks under an initiative by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs).

“Health care workers, accountants and cosmetologists are ready to enter their respective industries but are unable to get started without a professional license from the state,” Glowiak Hilton said. “With this initiative, I hope to expedite the time it takes IDFPR to process applications and allow residents to enter the work force sooner.”

As chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Glowiak Hilton prioritizes legislation to benefit workers and support economic development throughout the state. Under the legislation, IDFPR will be required to process applications within four weeks as long as there were no deficiencies submitted.

“My office has heard concerns from our community about workers waiting six weeks or more for licenses to be distributed,” Glowiak Hilton said. “While I appreciate the department’s efforts to reduce processing times with electronic renewals, I believe our state could improve the timeliness and let residents get to work.”

Senate Bill 3002 awaits to be assigned to a committee.

* Press release…

In an effort to remove a barrier to full inclusion for immigrant communities in Illinois, State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) is championing a measure that removes the use of “alien” in any Illinois statute when referring to people who have mixed statuses and referring to commerce outside of Illinois and the country.

“As a proud son of a first-generation immigrant from Ethiopia, I am happy to support building community by assisting in removing barriers to access much needed resources,” Simmons said. “I want Illinois to send a clear message that we welcome immigrants and that we are working to eliminate the historic barriers that many of these communities have faced.”

Senate Bill 3865 would remove the use of “alien” in any Illinois statute when referring to people who have mixed statuses and referring to commerce outside of Illinois and the country. Eliminating references to “alien” in Illinois law would remove a regressive and outdated legal term and symbolize the full inclusion of immigrant communities in Illinois. Similar legislation has recently passed in California and Colorado.

Continued use of the term “alien” as a legal term sends a negative message that recent immigrants, including many who have begun the naturalization process, are not welcome and not valued as full members of their communities.

“I believe that these efforts will facilitate a pathway to build trust between the government and immigrant communities,” Simmons said. “No one is illegal and no one doesn’t deserve to be here.”

Simmons filed the measure in time to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Vietnamese American Association and other ethnic groups. It awaits a committee hearing.

* Press release…

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy has introduced HB4165, which would require that any owner of a pier or drop-off location with clear access to Lake Michigan shall install public rescue equipment. This bill has got through its first hurdle by unanimously passing out of the Human Services Committee today. Ring life buoys and other types of safety equipment have not always been publicly available in situations where someone drowning along the shore could have been provided help. 53 people drowned in Lake Michigan in 2020 alone which made it the deadliest year on record according to The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project which analyzes drowning data. There have been over 430 Lake Michigan drownings since 2010. With the passage of this bill, many of the potential preventable Lake Michigan drowning deaths could be avoided.

“That this bill is needed is a tragedy, but it also represents what happens when a community comes together to solve a problem.,” said Rep. Kelly Cassidy, lead sponsor of HB4165. “I am grateful that the Chicago Park District has joined us in support of this bill and endlessly grateful to the amazing neighbors who forced the district to change their position by installing life rings repeatedly to protect our neighbors.”

Having publicly accessible water safety equipment along parts of the Lake Michigan shoreline is the bare minimum that communities deserve to have to limit the risk of drowning. As such, by providing publicly available safety equipment like life rings we can truly begin setting up a shoreline safety system that meets the needs of our populations but also for future enhanced ways of proactive safety measures to finally become a practical reality.

* More…

* A look at new resolutions proposed to the Illinois General Assembly