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* This idea was promoted by some Republican legislators last year, but is now being taken up by the majority Democrats. From a press release…
Legislators who resign their seats in the General Assembly before the end of their term no longer would be paid for days they haven’t worked under a proposal by Illinois State Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza.
Mendoza’s plan was prompted by recent cases involving State Sen. Martin Sandoval and State Rep. Luis Arroyo – each of whom are under federal investigation – who resigned their seats on the first day of the month but still received paychecks for the entire month. The practice is currently allowed under state law.
“It’s Jan. 13 – nearly two weeks since Marty Sandoval resigned his seat under federal investigation. Despite resigning on the first day of this month, my office must still pay him for the entire month. That’s ridiculous,” Mendoza said. “I can think of no other enterprise that pays an ex-employee for work they never performed. Each of these lawmakers left under a cloud but stayed just long enough – the first of the month – to collect an ‘exit bonus’ from state taxpayers for a month’s pay for no work.”
Under the proposal, lawmakers who resign before completing their entire term in office would be compensated on a prorated basis – meaning they would be paid based on the number of days they work in the Legislature. The same rule would apply to lawmakers appointed to complete the term of a vacancy.
In addition, legislators would be paid twice a month, just like all other state employees and constitutional officers. Currently, legislators are paid once a month. The Illinois Office of Comptroller issues paychecks to lawmakers, state employees and constitutional officers.
In some cases, taxpayers have been on the hook for two lawmaker salaries for the same position. Not only did the outgoing lawmaker get a check for a full month’s salary, their replacement did as well – even if the replacement began at the end of the month.
The proposal, Senate Bill 2456, is sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).
“In any other job, a person would not be compensated for an entire month if they only worked one day,” Castro said. “This is a glaring loophole that has been exploited far too many times at the taxpayers’ expense, and I look forward to working with Comptroller Mendoza to close it once and for all.”
Sometimes, the full-month’s pay can be used to help ease someone out of office, but I do get the point. Your thoughts?
* Speaking of which, from the Office of Executive Inspector General…
A recently released OEIG report about Governors State University (GSU) details a course of mismanagement that resulted in payments totaling over $1.5 million to 33 at-will employees after they had been terminated without cause.
The OEIG investigation uncovered that GSU had a long-standing practice of paying at-will employees after they were terminated. The amount of payment was based on the employees’ start date and length of service without any regard to the individual circumstances surrounding the termination. These employees continued to be paid by GSU without completing any work for GSU (or only minimal work) even when they obtained other non-State employment. Furthermore, many of these employees were instructed to continue to submit timesheets after they left GSU, thus falsely indicating that they were working a full-time schedule for GSU.
GSU did not have any policies regarding how these types of terminations and payments should be handled or evaluated, or by whom. GSU also did not provide any clear direction to administrators about instructions to be given to terminated employees on future employment or the submission of timesheets. The OEIG concluded that, as the head of the university, GSU President Elaine Maimon provided little or no guidance on these issues, nor did she effectively delegate her management role to other individuals.
In response to the report, the GSU Board of Trustees stated that it was preparing new timekeeping and termination pay policies to address the issues raised in the OEIG report. The Board also stated that it was forming an executive search committee to begin the process of selecting the next GSU President by June 2020, due to the upcoming expiration of President Maimon’s contract.
The full report is here.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 10:57 am
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==I can think of no other enterprise that pays an ex-employee for work they never performed.==
I get the point she is making, but if the Comptroller is serious with this comment, then I think she should start here:
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/05/776305627/mcdonalds-fired-ceo-is-getting-millions-putting-spotlight-on-pay-gap
Comment by MG85 Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:03 am
== Sometimes, the full-month’s pay can be used to help ease someone out of office, but I do get the point. Your thoughts? ==
Cheap way to distract from other news and seem to be doing ethical reform.
Comment by RNUG Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:06 am
Might help to actually file the bill before sending out a press release.
Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:07 am
Precinct Captain: Bill is filed. SB 2456. Senate reads bills into the record before they go up on ilga.
Comment by mocking jay Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:11 am
@MG85 -
The Comptroller of the State of Illinois does not sign the paychecks of corporate CEOs. Complain to McD’s board of directors.
Comment by JoanP Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:12 am
What’s Mendoza’s next move? Mayor didn’t pan out, Pritzker & Durbin are running for re-election so that doesn’t open up until 2026. Secretary of State maybe?
Comment by Capitol Text Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:22 am
=== Sometimes, the full-month’s pay can be used to help ease someone out of office, but I do get the point. Your thoughts?===
It’s just like this blog to defend corrupt behavior because it is beneficial to corrupt politicians.
Comment by Just Me 2 Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:24 am
How does it work for lame ducks in January? I believe their last check is the December 1 right after the election which is why a lot of them step down to give their successor a seniority bump or every once in a while to let someone be a State Rep for a month so they can have retired house plates for the rest of their live
Comment by Capitol Text Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:30 am
@Just Me
While I am breathlessly waiting for “this blogs’s” response - explain to me what is corrupt about filing for pay that is currently in the law? Does taking a tax deduction make you “corrupt”? Don’t like it - change the law, which is what is happening.
Comment by Out Here In The Middle Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:31 am
=== so they can have retired house plates for the rest… ===
(Sigh)
I’m pretty sure the plates issue (retired) doesn’t factor in how or when you leave, as long as you leave in good standing.
To the post,
I approach it like this;
At one point i think they all got their pay in one large sum? Wasn’t that changed?
The question might be is the change in of itself worth it, losing a leveraging tool that might force others out easier?
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:34 am
Doesn’t surprise that it was working this way. Many people think these guys never worked a day for anyone but themselves anyway. Glad she is trying to end it.
Comment by SSL Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:37 am
==Despite resigning on the first day of this month, my office must still pay him for the entire month.==
Do new legislators get a paycheck Day 1 if they happen to start on a payday?
Comment by City Zen Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:40 am
===What’s Mendoza’s next move? Mayor didn’t pan out, Pritzker & Durbin are running for re-election so that doesn’t open up until 2026. Secretary of State maybe?===
Thinking she’ll either stay Comptroller for another 8-12 years or get out of the game. She may have advisors that try to sell her on higher office, but after a bad showing in the Mayor’s race and rubbing downstate wrong by running for mayor, there ain’t a lot of support for her.
Comment by Flurry Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:54 am
=== Thinking she’ll either stay Comptroller for another 8-12 years…===
…and…
===…after a bad showing in the Mayor’s race and rubbing downstate wrong by running for mayor, there ain’t a lot of support for her.===
How do you explain her winning at least twice more, statewide, if she lacks all this support, LOL
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 11:58 am
=== How do you explain her winning at least twice more, statewide, if she lacks all this support, LOL===
Illinois ain’t exactly a GOP stronghold lately and don’t see any Democrats gunning for that office.
Comment by Flurry Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 12:03 pm
=== Illinois ain’t exactly a GOP stronghold lately===
Why do ya think that is?
At one point, Topinka, Kirk, Rauner, Slip and Sue…
The implosion of the ILRaunerites and this POTUS are making Dems stronger. For the love of Pete, goofy Eastern Bloc House members want their own state.
Rauner sullied the GOP brand when he bought it, POTUS made it racially charged.
Funny you didn’t find a Dem willing to discuss to take her on. Why?
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 12:16 pm
To The Post - I have no problem with it as long as she is consistent trying to implement her “outrage” with all State Agencies and Employees. I am sure she will get lots of support /s
Comment by Former Candidate on the Ballot Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 12:26 pm
Mendoza can camp out in the Comptroller’s office for as long as it takes for people to forget about her run for mayor, and that’ll take less time than you think.
Comment by Arsenal Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 12:27 pm
At least they no longer get a paycheck for the full two year session on the first day of the session.
Comment by Don’t Worry, Be Happy Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 1:04 pm
Comptroller Mendoza’s mayoral foray will soon be forgotten, while her excellent work will keep her in office for as long as she wants. I believe she has cross-party support also.
To the post: The State practice is wasteful, and the GSU practice may be criminal, unless done under (public record) settlement/severance agreements.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 1:52 pm
=“I can think of no other enterprise that pays an ex-employee for work they never performed. Each of these lawmakers left under a cloud but stayed just long enough – the first of the month – to collect an ‘exit bonus’ from state taxpayers for a month’s pay for no work.” =
- Hey, it worked for Mendoza’s ol’ fundraising buddy Danny Solis (former 25th Ward Ald.) after it was revealed he wore a wire for the feds due to his own wrongdoing. He disappeared but never resigned for 5 months up until the new alderman was sworn-in. He collected a paycheck throughout. She was running for Chicago Mayor at the time and never spoke out against that. Hmm.
Comment by Southwest sider Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 3:29 pm
I oppose the legislation, as paying legislators once a month in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act shows the 10th Amendment is still alive! /s
Comment by Anyone Remember Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 5:45 pm
It’s nice to see the Comptroller supporting legislation that originally came from Republicans. I wonder if the press release failing to mention that was an oversight or not.
Comment by NotAnonymous Monday, Jan 13, 20 @ 8:49 pm
Except Rep Mike filed the same legislation in March of last year ( http://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=818&GAID=15&GA=101&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=115072&SessionID=108 ) and Mendoza did not say a word about supporting it. It sat in the rules committee. Now comes along a Dem, who by the way have countless of their members either indicted or being investigated by the feds and all of the sudden they are for ethics legislation that only they have proposed. 🙄. While the GOP is not perfect either at least their own people are trying to have ethics reform. When will Illinois residents wake up? When they are the only ones left and everyone else moved to a different state.
Comment by Palatine Pop Tuesday, Jan 14, 20 @ 1:59 pm