Tuesday, May 10, 2011
 
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Senate votes to merge treasurer, comptroller offices

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[May 10, 2011]  SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois voters may have one less box to check off come the 2014 election.

InsuranceThe Illinois Senate on Thursday voted unanimously to combine the state's treasurer and comptroller offices through a constitutional amendment. If passed, the merger is expected to save about $12 million annually.

State Treasurer Dan Rutherford campaigned on the idea last fall. Rutherford and newly elected Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, both Republicans, support the plan.

"Consolidation of the offices of comptroller and treasurer will improve efficiency, save on personnel and office costs, and deliver the long-term benefit of more timely state investments," Topinka said in a prepared statement.

"If government can be more efficient by having less officers and departments and so forth, then government should do that," Rutherford said.

State Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, said the constitutional amendment goes beyond any monetary gain.

"It's the credibility with the people of the state that when difficult decisions need to be made -- when Springfield's government needs to shrink -- that we're not just foisting that on everyone else," Murphy said.

State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, said there's no longer a "need" for both offices.

"As we look for cost savings in government and as we talk about government consolidation, I think it's important we first show (an) example on the state level," Raoul said.

The comptroller's office was created by the 1970 Illinois Constitution to replace the auditor of public accounts. It is largely seen as a safeguard for state funds. In the 1950s, when Orville Hodge was auditor of public accounts, he embezzled millions from the state and eventually pleaded guilty.

"They are separate offices because having one person watching the finances was too risky. … It was important to have two people responsible to voters," said David Morrison, deputy director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. "That said, we may have far better systems for tracking finances than a century ago, and maybe there are efficiencies to be gained there."

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Rutherford agreed, crediting the creation of an independent auditor general and technological advances for eliminating the need to maintain separate fiscal offices.

The measure now heads to the Illinois House for approval but may face some opposition from leadership, Rutherford said.

Constitutional amendments require a three-fifths vote in both chambers to pass.

"This is an old idea that's been around before, so we'll take a look at it," House Speaker Michael Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said.

If passed in the General Assembly, the proposal will be put to voters on the 2012 ballot and, if approved, could potentially go into effect in time for the 2014 election.

[Illinois Statehouse News; By MELISSA LEU]

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