State Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-IL) has sponsored a bill that will address excessive executive compensation packages at public universities and community colleges in the state.
House Bill 3593 would help stop excessive administrative perks highlighted in the May 22 report of the Illinois Senate Higher Education Sub-Committee on Executive Compensation. The bill specifically addresses portions of the report, including limiting contract extensions and automatic renewal of contracts. Pursuant to the bill, any contract extensions must be made during an open board meeting with public notice of the negotiations.
“After the release of our Higher Education Sub-Committee report, it was obvious that something had to be done," Cunningham said. "The contracts dealt with in this legislation have a significant impact on state finances and abuse of the process erodes the trust of the taxpaying public. We have begun the process of reforming these contracts and have more work to do. I’m pleased to have worked with my colleagues on a bipartisan approach to this issue and look forward to continuing our work over the summer.”
The report and bill are the result of excessive contract and severance packages awarded to administrators at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn and at Illinois State University in Normal.
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