HR0140 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0140 LRB096 11031 MJR 21331 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The purpose of the Illinois Personnel Code is to establish for the government of the State of Illinois a system of personnel administration under the Governor, based on merit principles and scientific methods; and

WHEREAS, All offices and positions of employment in the service of the State of Illinois are subject to the provisions of the Personnel Code unless exempted by law; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Personnel Code establishes the following jurisdictions: Jurisdiction A, with respect to the classification and compensation of positions in the State service; Jurisdiction B, with respect to the positions in the State service to which persons must hold appointments on a basis of merit and fitness; and Jurisdiction C, with respect to conditions of employment in State service; and

WHEREAS, The Personnel Code provides for the partial or total exemption of certain positions from provisions of the Code pertaining to Jurisdictions A, B, and C; and

WHEREAS, The Civil Service Commission is authorized to exempt from Jurisdiction B positions that in its judgment involve either principal administrative responsibility for the determination of policy or principal administrative responsibility for the way in which policies are carried out, upon written recommendation of the Director of Central Management Services; and

WHEREAS, Positions exempted from the Personnel Code by the Civil Service Commission typically involve upper-management positions, subject to a higher pay range than non-exempt positions, and may be filled without regard to veteran's preference or the merit and fitness requirements (testing) of the Code; and

WHEREAS, As of December 31, 2003, the number of exemptions granted by the Civil Service Commission in executive branch State agencies was 381; that number has consistently increased in the past 6 years to an unprecedented number of 824; and

WHEREAS, A report recently released by the Executive Ethics Commission indicates that exempt positions were used by State agencies to circumvent veterans' preference requirements and to hire unqualified persons into State positions; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Auditor General is directed to conduct an audit of exemptions granted by the Civil Service Commission pursuant to its authority under item (3) of subsection (d) of Section 4 of the Illinois Personnel Code during the period January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2008, to determine if the granting of such exemptions was consistent with applicable State law and rules; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as soon as possible and report his findings and recommendations upon completion in accordance with the provisions of the Illinois State Auditing Act; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be delivered to the Auditor General.