Although the General Assembly is out of session, there's a busy week of administrative board meetings.

Tuesday, September 26

09:30 a.m. - The Health Facilities and Services Review Board will consider permit approval for a lengthy list of facilities during its 6-hour meeting at the Inn at 835, located at 835 S. 2nd St. in Springfield. Agenda.

10:00 a.m. - The Racing Board will meet in the Thompson Center in Chicago to award racing permits for 2018 and allocate racing dates. Agenda.

2:30 p.m. - The Emergency Services Management Association will hold its monthly meeting via teleconference. No agenda has been released, but interested parties may join the call by dialing 712-432-3066, providing access code 980930#.

Although no time or agenda has been released for the group, The Department of Child and Family Services’ Institutional Review Board will meet in Suite 6-100, the Southwest Conference Room at the Thompson Center in Chicago.

Wednesday, September 27

9:30 a.m. - The Human Rights Commission is slated for several hearings and meetings. Panel D Hearings will be held in the DHS Murdoch Room of the Thompson Center in Chicago. Panel D Agenda. The commission in full will meet at 10:30 a.m. Commission Agenda. Panel C hearings will begin at 11:30 a.m. Panel C Agenda.

10:00 a.m. - The Executive Board of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency is scheduled to meet, but has not released a location or agenda.

10:00 a.m. - The Legislative Audit Commission will meet in Suite C-600 of the Bilandic Building in Chicago. Audit reviews include the Department of Revenue, Department of the Lottery and the Department of Children and Family Services among others. Agenda.

10:30 a.m. - The Thoroughbred Breeders Fund Advisory Board will meet but has not released an agenda or location. The body normally meets at the Springfield Fairgrounds.

10:30 a.m. - The Illinois Commerce Commission will meet at the State of Illinois Building in Chicago to consider three railway cases. Agenda.

Thursday, September 28

10:00 a.m. - The Illinois Chamber’s Annual Meeting at the Drake Hotel in Chicago will feature keynote speaker Enbridge CEO Al Monaco and awards presented by Nicor Gas. Program.

Friday, September 39

9:00 a.m. - The Housing Development Authority (HDA) will hold three meetings in Suite 1000 at 111 E. Wacker St. in Chicago. The morning begins with the Audit Committee, which has not released its agenda.

10:00 a.m. - The HDA Finance Committee will then meet in the Log Cabin Suite.

11:00 a.m. - The HDA Board of Directors’ meeting concludes the day, although no agenda has been released by the body.  

Every Friday we present some of the more interesting campaign finance information. Unless otherwise stated, reports are from the last seven days.

The statehouse evacuee count continues to rise with the near-daily announcement of incumbent retirements. Meanwhile, shifting demographics in some districts leave key lawmakers fighting to keep their seats. With the arrival of autumn, eyes around the state are scouting for new patches of red.

On the eve of the autumnal equinox, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources released its annual Fall Color Report. Across the state, dry conditions have taken their toll on the season’s showing.

During its most recent audit, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency was found to have $11.8 million worth of uncollected debt gathering dust in its accounts receivable column.

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  Legislative updates are expected today from the Policy Procurement Board, which meets today in the Stratton Building, room 349-C, 401 South Spring Street in Springfield, connected via video to the Thompson Center in Chicago. The group will also review three leases in Springfield and Chicago. Agenda.

  
  

The Illinois Workforce Innovation Board will convene today at Nicor Gas in Napierville for a 4-hour board member retreat, followed by a 2-hour board meeting. Agenda items include a detailed report on increasing demand for truck drivers in the state.

Those seeking a position as the Chief Internal Auditor of the Illinois Department of Military Affairs have until the end of today to apply for the position. The successful applicant will have their work cut out for them.

Wary of encroaching competition from out-of-state universities, the Illinois Board of Higher Education tabled several potential partnerships during its Tuesday meeting at Western Illinois University, and turned its eye toward a potential legislative pushback on the issue for 2018.

• Following yesterday’s signing of the EDGE Tax Credit legislation, Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed a measure into law aimed at reforming civil asset forfeiture, sponsored by Sen. Dan Harmon (D-Oak Park). The move counters a federal-level rollback of reform efforts in July by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The move means probable cause is no longer sufficient reason to seize a suspect's possessions in Illinois, small sums of cash are exempt from seizure, and property owners no longer have to pay to have their possessions returned.   


• Participants in the State Universities Retirement System are now allowed to rollover pension distributions into a simple IRA, after a recent decision by the SURS board. Details on the ruling can be found in the most recent Flinn Report.


• The state’s criminal DNA testing backlog totals 11,855 and is still increasing, according to the 2017 DNA Testing Accountability report. The cause for the backlog provided in the report: “forensic scientists are well-qualified and highly-trained, but… it takes more than two years from when a (forensic scientist) vacancy occurs until it is filled by a fully-trained new scientist.” Despite the backlog, the continued testing landed 1,513 hits for potential criminal matches, compared to 1,300 in FY2016.


• The Illinois Liquor Commission will meet today at 1:00 p.m. in room 2-025 of the Thompson Center in Chicago. Updated agenda.