July 23, 2010

To the Honorable Members of the

Illinois House of Representatives,

96^th General Assembly:

            In accordance with Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution, I hereby return House Bill 4836 with specific recommendations for change.

            This legislation creates the Sunshine Commission to conduct a thorough review of each State executive branch program to determine its relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness

            I applaud the General Assembly for taking steps to consolidate state government programs and make existing programs more efficient. As Governor, I have cut costs, eliminated waste, and maximized efficiencies while providing jobs and high-quality services for citizens throughout our State. 

            However, the Sunshine Commission created by this bill cannot possibly make a thorough recommendation as to the efficacy of state programs. To fully examine how best to maximize resources for the people of Illinois, the Commission must represent the interests of all the people of our State. As presently constituted, this Commission represents only a limited number of corporate special interests. The people of our State deserve better.

Finally, the Commission created by this bill will operate outside the scrutiny of the public; it promises sunshine in name only. The people of the State of Illinois have a right to know how effectively their government is serving them, and to be able to access this information in an easy, convenient way.  To that end, I believe the Commission should not only submit its report to the General Assembly, but also hold public hearings and post its report on the internet.

            Therefore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 4836, entitled “AN ACT concerning State government.” with the following specific recommendations for change:

on page 1, line 9, by replacing “General Assembly” with “General Assembly, 4 members appointed by the Governor,”; and

on page 1, by replacing lines 15 through 17 with “sector experience in the field of banking, finance, social services, health care, labor, education, or accounting.”; and

on page 2, line 20, after “review.”, by inserting “The Commission shall hold no less than 6 public meetings in different regions of the State and allow for public comment during the meetings. The Commission shall comply with the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.”; and

on page 2, by replacing line 22 with “Commission shall submit to the General Assembly and post on an Internet website maintained by the State of Illinois a written,”; and

on page 3, by replacing line 6 with “Assembly and posted on an Internet website maintained by the State of Illinois, each house of the General Assembly must vote upon the same joint resolution”.

            With these changes, House Bill 4836 will have my approval. I respectfully request your concurrence.

Sincerely,

Pat Quinn

Governor