Committee advances Sen. Brady's hate crime commission legislation         

[April 20, 2007]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Senate Executive Committee has advanced legislation sponsored by state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, to require legislative approval for the governor's appointments to the state's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.

The 44th District senator is working on the issue with state Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago.

Approved Thursday by the Senate Executive Committee, Senate Bill 1047 requires Senate approval of the 21 members appointed by the governor to the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.

"Many of the governor's appointments to other state boards and commissions require Senate approval," Brady said. "Given the important matters that the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes consider, it makes sense that its members should be scrutinized to avoid the kind of controversy it generated last year."

The Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes caught the public eye when, in March 2006, gubernatorial appointee Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad invited several commission members to a speech by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. When several members expressed their outrage at some of Farrakhan's controversial remarks, Gov. Blagojevich voiced his support of Sister Muhammad. As a result, a number of members resigned from the commission.

Senate Bill 1047 now moves to the full Senate for further consideration.

[Text from news release sent on behalf of Sen. Bill Brady and received from Illinois Senate Republican staff]