On Sept. 21, Gov. Rauner issued Executive Orders eliminating 53 boards and commissions that serve no public purpose and have been inactive for years, some for as long as two full decades.
“This is a matter of good government through transparency,” Rauner said. “The people of Illinois need to understand the ongoing work of the state. They should not be led to believe that people are still at work doing tasks that were completed 10 years ago, or that they are supporting advisory roles for which the need expired in the 1990s.”
Over the years, the State of Illinois has created more than 600 authorities, boards, bureaus, commissions, committees, councils, task forces and other similar entities. Many of them have completed their work and no longer operate, yet they still appear in State publications, public-facing websites, and Legislative Research Unit reports as if they were still doing the people’s work.
Earlier this year, Rauner issued an Executive Order abolishing 19 other redundant or inactive boards and commissions.