SPRINGFIELD – After the issuance of a special report detailing costly administrative practices at our state’s public universities and community colleges, a bill to address the growing administrative costs and generous executive compensation packages that have helped fuel tuition increases for Illinois students has passed the Illinois Senate.
 
House Bill 3593 is a bi-partisan reform plan for Illinois institutions of higher learning to help put a stop to excessive administrative perks outlined in the May 22 report of the Illinois Senate Higher Education Sub-Committee report on Executive Compensation. The legislation addresses portions of the report, including limiting contract extensions and automatic renewal of contracts. Any contract extensions must also be made during an open board meetings with adequate public notice of the negotiations. Senator Cunningham has stated that additional reforms will be addressed over the summer.
 
“After the release of our Higher Education Sub-Committee report, it was obvious that something had to be done. The contracts dealt with in this legislation have a significant impact on state finances and abuse of the process erodes the trust of the taxpaying public. We have begun the process of reforming these contracts and have more work to do,” Senator Cunningham said. “I’m pleased to have worked with my colleagues on a bi-partisan approach to this issue and look forward to continuing our work over the summer.”
 
The report and legislation come after a series of media reports of detailing questionable contracts and severance packages for administrators at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn and at Illinois State University in Normal. According to the report, presidents at public universities in Illinois often receive cash bonuses, country club memberships, and housing and vehicle allowances, this despite enjoying a median salary of nearly $300,000 a year.
 
The report covers public higher education institutions across the state and found similar instances of opaque negotiations, contract extensions approved without discussions and issues dealing with pensions, such as excessive sick-day buyouts. The report goes on to explain possible reforms to limit these practices, including reforms to the Open Meetings Act as well as auditing reforms.

SPRINGFIELD — Criminals who exploit wards of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services will now face additional penalties under legislation passed in the Illinois Senate today by State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago). The legislation is an initiative of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Senate Bill 201 allows sentencing courts to consider a defendant’s knowledge of a prostitution victim’s DCFS status when sentencing. Many wards of the state are extremely susceptible and are in need of extra judicial protections.

"A recent Chicago Tribune series detailed the fact that human traffickers often specifically target and recruit wards of the state who reside in group homes because they see them as vulnerable and susceptible to being lured into a life of prostitution," Cunningham said. "SB 201 would enable judges to enhance the sentences they impose on pimps and traffickers in those cases."

The legislation specifically states that judges may consider the fact that a criminal knew their victim to be a ward of DCFS and consider that knowledge as an aggravating factor when imposing sentences.

“I’m proud to have worked with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office on this and other legislation designed to protect our most vulnerable children. I will continue to make their protection a priority,” Cunningham said.

The bill now goes to the Illinois House for consideration.

Cook County Sheriff Dart testified in favor before the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee

SPRINGFIELD — A plan to help ease overcrowding within the Cook County criminal justice system has been approved by the Illinois Senate following testimony from State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. The proposal will set up a pilot “rocket docket” for low-level, non-violent offenders.

Senate Bill 202 creates a special court for offenders charged with retail theft, criminal trespass, along with other low-level offenses. The pilot program would allow the sheriff to designate participants in the program based on past legal history.

"There is a serious need for rebalancing our criminal justice system in a manner that keeps violent offenders behind bars, while drug abusers and defendants charged with nuisance crimes are shifted into treatment programs that could help turn their lives around," Cunningham said. "I'm proud to work with Sheriff Dart on this legislation because it will save taxpayer dollars and streamline our overburdened court system."

Recent reports have highlighted issues within the Cook County criminal justice system, including inmates housed for long periods of time for minor offenses. Examples include a 30 year old woman in jail for 135 days for stealing candy and fruit.

The bill now goes before the Illinois House for consideration.

SPRINGFIELD — A system to help locate children who are reported missing from Department of Children and Family Services custody has passed the Illinois Senate. The Safeguard our Children Act is sponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) and is an initiative of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Senate Bill 1775 spells out what is required from the DCFS once a youth in their custody is reported missing. The legislation states that DCFS must report the missing youth to local law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Illinois State Police must also develop a network to help with locating missing DCFS wards.

“Over the years, I have heard of numerous cases of DCFS wards going missing. Unfortunately, many times, the local law enforcement entities are not made aware of these missing children,” Cunningham said. “With this law, we hope that we will be able to find runaway wards as quickly as possible, helping protect them from possible exploitation.”

From 2011 until 2013, residential DCFS facilities reported 29,425 incidents of missing wards, averaging 27 runaway reports per day. Many residential facilities do not report the runaways to local law enforcement.

“Protecting our children, no matter what their situation, is a priority of mine. I’m proud to have worked with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office on this legislation and will continue to work with them to safeguard those who are under our custody,” Cunningham said.

The legislation now goes to the Illinois House for consideration.