HJ0063 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0063 LRB100 12988 MST 27143 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois and its operating units are currently experiencing a fiscal situation that is demanding the close attention of the people; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois and its operating units are constantly incurring millions of dollars of expenses every day just to continue to operate, with much of these operating expense being piled up into what is now a backlog of more than $14 billion in unpaid State bills; and

WHEREAS, One element of these overall operating costs, and of the State's unpaid bill backlog, are the moneys paid by the State and its taxpayers to rent or lease parcels of real property; and

WHEREAS, Serious questions have arisen as to the interrelationship between of some of the lease agreements entered into by the State in recent months, the actual market values of the properties being leased, the lease payments that would be paid if these properties were leased in an arms-length transaction between independent parties, and the overall fiscal situation of the State; and

WHEREAS, The Legislative Audit Commission is currently supervising an audit being performed by the Auditor General of the Department of Human Services; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we call upon the State of Illinois and its operating units, including, but not limited to, the Department of Central Management Services, to immediately suspend the drafting, negotiation, perfection, and signing of any lease on any parcel of real property, and that this suspension is to continue until the conclusion of the audit of the Department of Human Services currently being conducted under the supervision of the Legislative Audit Commission; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the conclusion of this audit shall not be deemed to have taken place until the Legislative Audit Commission has reported on the findings of this audit to the General Assembly, and the General Assembly has been accorded adequate time on its legislative calendar to take any actions that may be reasonably deemed necessary or desirable to implement any recommendations made by the audit and to remedy any problems or dysfunctions uncovered by the audit; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution shall be presented to Governor Bruce Rauner, Michael Hoffman, the Acting Director of Central Management Services, and Jane Stricklin, the Executive Director of the Legislative Audit Commission.