Cunningham reacts to House vote on Higher Education severance packages

CHICAGO – State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-18th Senate) released the following comments after the Illinois House of Representatives passed legislation to curb excessive severance packages for administrators at Illinois public colleges and universities:

“I’m pleased to hear that the Illinois House has agreed to this one important reform to our higher education compensation system. While there are many other necessary reforms that we will discuss as the year proceeds, it is important as we go into the next academic year for our students and leaders to know that we are beginning the process of reforming our higher education compensation system to lower the costs for future leaders.”

Cunningham: Report details compensation abuses, administrative bloat at state colleges and universities

• college affordability
• higher education
• senator cunningham

Springfield - Months of work by members of the media and the Illinois General Assembly have culminated in a special report detailing costly administrative practices at our state’s public universities and community colleges. The report brings to light growing administrative costs and generous executive compensation packages that have helped fuel tuition increases for Illinois students.

"This report found that many public colleges and universities have been too quick to award lavish benefits to their executives and increase the number of administrative employees they assign to non-instructional post," State Senator Bill Cunningham said. "While these practices are never welcome, they are particularly troubling during difficult budgetary times and when college tuition rates have grown faster than any other expenses faced by middle class families."

The initial draft report was issued by Senator Cunningham, who chairs the Illinois State Senate’s Higher Education Sub-committee on Executive Compensation. According to the report, presidents at public universities in Illinois often receive cash bonuses, country club memberships, and housing and vehicle allowances, this despite enjoying a median salary of nearly $300,000 a year.

“When you look at the numbers in this report, they indicate a trend of bloated administrations at our public universities and community colleges. If the General Assembly is going to invest more in higher education, we want to insure those investments are going directly into the classroom and not to more administration,” Senator Cunningham continued.

The special sub-committee was assembled and began work after a series of media reports detailing questionable contracts and severance packages for administrators at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn and at Illinois State University in Normal. The report covers public higher education institutions across the state and found similar instances of opaque negotiations, contract extensions approved without discussions and issues dealing with pensions, such as excessive sick-day buyouts.

The report goes on to explain possible reforms to limit these practices, including reforms to the Open Meetings Act as well as auditing reforms.

“I don’t think we are proposing anything too radical here. I think it’s mostly commonsense reforms that we are seeking here. Over the summer, we will have a series of hearings to take a closer look at the report and discuss proposed reforms,” Senator Cunningham said.

Please take a moment to read the report at the Illinois Senate Democrats website.

State Senator Cunningham hosts IDES Hiring Fair in Chicago

• local event
• district event
• Hiring Fair

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), along with State Representative Frances Hurley (D-Chicago) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security are holding a Hiring Fair on Thursday, July 30. Doors open for veterans only starting at 9:00 AM. The general public is invited from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM. The workshop will be held at the St. Christina School, 3333 W. 110th St. in Chicago. The hiring fair will help provide employers the chance to meet prospective employees, help those prospective employees find work along with other opportunities.

•    WHO: State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), State Representative Frances Hurley (D-Chicago) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security

•    WHAT: Hiring Fair

•    WHEN: Thursday, July 30 – Veterans welcome starting at 9:00 AM, General Public welcome from 10:00AM until 1:00PM

•    WHERE: St. Christina School, 3333 W. 110th St. in Chicago

Employer registration is closed.

Job seekers may register here.

Cunningham, fellow Senate Democrats supports middle-class economic agenda

SPRINGFIELD – In light of an economic agenda put forth by the Governor’s office, Illinois Senate Democrats are proposing a package of legislation to increase tuition tax credits, raise the minimum wage to $11 an hour and close millions worth of corporate tax loopholes. The Senate Democrats are proposing the plan after negotiations with Governor Rauner stalled.

“When I began working in public service, I pledged to protect and better the lives of the families and residents of my district. The agenda put forth by the Governor does nothing to help working families get ahead. Our plan will help students get a better education, help working families increase their take home pay and help eliminate the millions in corporate loopholes,” Senator Cunningham said.

The agenda unveiled Sunday contains five key provisions:

• Tuition Tax Credit. Qualified parents or students who are Illinois residents can claim a tax credit for higher education expenses incurred at any qualified public or private university, community college, vocational school, or other postsecondary educational institution located in Illinois.
• Minimum wage. Increases the state minimum wage to $9.00 on July 1, 2015 and by $0.50 each year thereafter until the minimum wage reaches $11.00 on July 1, 2019. Provides a three-year tax credit for employers with less than 50 employees.
• Illinois College Promise Program. Covers tuition and mandatory fees for up to two years at any of the state’s 48 community colleges so long as the student continues to meet all applicable eligibility requirements.
• Healthy Workplace Act. Guarantees up to seven paid days of sick time to full and part time employees. Sick time would accrue at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked. Employees would not be able to take sick time for the first 120 days of employment
• Corporate loopholes. Ends a variety of corporate tax breaks including corporations ability to automatically receive a tax breaks for production outside of Illinois. Closing these loopholes will bring the state $334 million.

“The plan we are putting forth is a common-sense approach to making the lives of working families better, helping students get a good, solid education and making certain that corporations start sharing in the sacrifice that many of our families have already shared in,” Cunningham said.

The new proposal come as Governor Bruce Rauner has threatened to shut down state government and end state services if lawmakers don’t reduce worker protections, make it harder to sue corporations that make dangerous products and slash billions of dollars in services to at-risk children and seniors.

Senator Cunningham plans to co-sponsor the legislation along with numerous other Senate Democrats. The proposals could be in final form for possible votes should lawmakers be called back into session this summer.