Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HJR0158
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Full Text of HJR0158  99th General Assembly

HJ0158 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Section 3 of Article VIII of the Constitution of
3the State of Illinois provides that the General Assembly, by a
4vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house,
5shall appoint an Auditor General; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Section 3 of Article VIII of the Constitution of
7the State of Illinois provides that the General Assembly, by a
8vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house, may
9remove the Auditor General for cause; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Senate and the House of Representatives
11adopted Senate Joint Resolution 35 on October 20, 2015 to
12appoint Frank J. Mautino as Auditor General; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino's term commenced
14on January 1, 2016 for a term of 10 years; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Frank J. Mautino served as chairman of the
16political committee referred to as the Committee for Frank J.
17Mautino that was established on September 16, 1991 and closed
18on December 30, 2015; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The State Board of Elections has ordered the
20Committee for Frank J. Mautino to provide clarification of

 

 

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1spending by the political campaign committee; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The Illinois Times newspaper in Springfield has
3reported that a federal grand jury has issued subpoenas to
4former campaign workers of Auditor General Frank J. Mautino;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino has acknowledged
7that there is an on-going investigation by the United States
8Attorney's Office into spending of campaign funds by the
9Committee for Frank J. Mautino; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino has acknowledged
11that he is cooperating with the United States Attorney's Office
12investigation into alleged improprieties involving the
13Committee for Frank J. Mautino; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino has repeatedly
15refused to respond to requests for information submitted by
16members of the General Assembly regarding allegations of
17misappropriation of campaign funds, ethical concerns, and
18potential conflicts of interest; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino has sought to
20avoid answering questions from the State Board of Elections by
21seeking a stay of the State Board of Elections' investigation

 

 

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1while the pending federal criminal investigation proceeds; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The investigation by the United States Attorney
3General may not be concluded for months or years; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Taxpayers deserve an Auditor General beyond
5reproach who is not the subject of an ongoing federal
6investigation; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The ongoing investigations into the Committee for
8Frank J. Mautino and serious allegations leveled against Frank
9J. Mautino demonstrate his inability to conduct the Office of
10Auditor General in an impartial and professional manner;
11therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
14SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that, pursuant to Section 3 of
15Article VIII of the Illinois Constitution, Frank J. Mautino is
16to be removed for cause and shall be removed from office as the
17Auditor General of the State of Illinois; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That Frank J. Mautino has neglected his duty to
19the General Assembly by refusing to respond to legislative
20inquiries regarding specific allegations involving
21misappropriation of campaign funds, ethical concerns and

 

 

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1potential conflicts of interest; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That, pursuant to Section 3 of Article VIII of
3the Illinois Constitution, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino
4shall have been afforded due process and the opportunity to
5appear before each house, prior to any vote on removal, to
6respond to the charges contained in this Resolution; and be it
7further
 
8    RESOLVED, That, by the vote of three-fifths of the members
9elected to each house of the General Assembly pursuant to
10Section 3 of Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of
11Illinois, Frank J. Mautino of Spring Valley, Illinois is
12removed as Auditor General for the State of Illinois
13immediately.