CHICAGO – In an effort to reduce administrative costs and help hold the line on college tuition growth, State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-18) has proposed a series of reforms in how higher education executives in Illinois are compensated. These reforms were sparked by a report revealing inappropriate practices, including the recent scandals at the College of DuPage.

“Institutions of higher learning in our state have been plagued by recent controversies involving mismanagement or misconduct by college presidents, which cost taxpayers and tuition-payers millions of dollars in legal fees and severance payouts," Cunningham said. "We need to reform our laws to ensure more transparency and accountability in the administration of our public colleges and universities."

CHICAGO - During the past year, State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-18th Senate District) has chaired the Illinois Senate Higher Education Subcommittee on Higher Education Compensation. In the course of that time, the committee has released a report detailing questionable compensation practices at our state universities and community colleges. On September 9th, FOX 32 reporter Dana Placko filed a report on the controversy.

Please take a moment to view the report, from FOX 32.

CHICAGO – Criminals who attempt to take possession of property during foreclosure proceedings will now have a more difficult time attempting their crime thanks to legislation sponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham. The new law will shield properties in financial distress from criminals trying to file bogus legal claims on the properties.

Senate Bill 1487, signed into law last week, establishes a ‘Foreclosure Property Pilot Program” in Cook County to address issues the Cook County Recorder of Deeds has encountered with fraudulent recordings on foreclosed property.  Beginning next year, judges will be able to issue an order barring any non-record claimants from recording, without approval of the court, a lien on property that is the subject of a foreclosure action. The legislation comes at the request of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.

“Previously, criminals were able to file legal documents against properties in the foreclosure process without the Recorder having the ability to verify those documents. With the signing of this legislation, we now have an opportunity to put a stop to this practice and protect property rights for our residents,” Senator Cunningham said.

Reports of fraudulent filings began to come to the forefront in the wake of the “Great Recession”. In particular, many people claimed to have the legal ability to simply move into properties based on flawed legal reasoning. Previously, the Recorder had to accept all filings against properties without the ability to review and dismiss.

“Property fraud devastates communities. With this new tool, we are helping rebuild our neighborhoods and keeping criminals from profiting from financial misery,” Senator Cunningham said.

SPRINGFIELD - Wards of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services who run away or go missing from the system will now have additional protections to help find them and keep them out of the hands of predators. Two pieces of legislation, sponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham, were signed into law to help create a system to locate missing wards that are reported as well as enhancing penalties for criminals who exploit those missing wards.

“The protection of our children, regardless of circumstance, is a priority. With the passage and signing of these important pieces of legislation, our most vulnerable children will have better protection and, hopefully, a better life,” said Cunningham, a Chicago Democrat.

Senate Bill 1775, also known as the Safeguard our Children Act, spells out what is required from DCFS once a youth in their custody is reported missing. The legislation states that DCFS must report the missing youth to local law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Illinois State Police must also develop a network to help with locating missing DCFS wards.

From 2011 to 2013, residential DCFS facilities reported 29,425 incidents of missing wards, averaging 27 runaway reports per day. Many residential facilities do not report the runaways to local law enforcement.

“There have been numerous cases of DCFS wards going missing, where, unfortunately, law enforcement was not made aware of the missing child,” Cunningham said. “This new law will help us to find runaway wards as quickly as possible, helping protect them from possible exploitation.”

Also signed into law was Senate Bill 201, which allows sentencing courts to consider a defendant’s knowledge of a prostitution victim’s DCFS status when sentencing. Many wards of the state are extremely susceptible and are in need of extra judicial protections. The legislation specifically states that judges may consider the fact that a criminal knew their victim to be a ward of DCFS and consider that knowledge as an aggravating factor when imposing sentences.

"A series of recent articles reported that human traffickers often specifically target and recruit wards of the state who reside in group homes. Predators see them as especially vulnerable and susceptible to being lured into a life of prostitution," Cunningham said. "The new law would enable judges to enhance the sentences they impose on pimps and traffickers in those cases."

Cunningham has worked closely with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart over the years to help craft good public policy in the criminal justice and corrections field. These two new laws are a direct result of that good working relationship.

“I’m proud to have worked with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office on this. We will continue to work together to protect our most vulnerable children and make their protection a priority,” Cunningham said.