The proposal would create a new Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Act. Under this Act, a bipartisan 18-member commission would look into the current operations of State government and propose comprehensive changes intended to increase performance and efficiency. The new Commission would submit a report no later than October 1, 2021.
The bill is a response to a claim by the majority party that “the State is running out of money” and “we urgently need to amend the State Constitution” to make future tax increases much easier to enact and pass into law. An alternate way to help the State live within its means is to take a hard look at the productivity of its operations.
On the federal level, President Ronald Reagan’s Grace Commission (active in 1982 and 1983) made many proposals to reduce waste and inefficiency in Washington. The Illinois Commission on Fiscal Responsibility would attempt to achieve similar goals in Springfield. The bill to create the Commission is HB 4024.