SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) has passed legislation on April 27, 2010 creating a Sunshine Commission to identify and eliminate wasteful government spending.
“Taxpayers expect us to be good stewards of their tax dollars,” Murphy said. “This commission will go through our state budget line-by-line, bureaucrat-by-bureaucrat and program-by-program to identify wasteful spending so we can focus our tax dollars on our real priorities.”
House Bill 4836 creates the Sunshine Commission to review functions of the Illinois Executive Branch and agencies within its control. The Commission is charged with examining relevance, efficiency and effectiveness and how those functions match with enacting legislation that created the corresponding agency.
Sunshine Commission recommendations must include one of three findings: elimination of obsolete or ineffective programs, consolidation, and or steps to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Commission members are to be chosen by the four legislative leaders and must have experience in the private sector. The members are prevented from having governmental contacts or contracts and will receive no compensation.
“We must do more to reestablish the public trust and confidence that their elected officials will take better care of their taxpayer dollars,” Murphy said.
House Bill 4836 now awaits the Governor’s signature.