The DuPage Democrat
February 2006 - The Front Page
ILLINOIS
COMPTROLLER DAN HYNES TO SPEAK AT FEBRUARY 9TH CLUB MEETING
The DuPage Democratic Club is
pleased to announce that Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes will make his
first appearance before the Club at our meeting on Thursday, February
9th. Our meeting, which will start at 7:30 PM with a time for
socializing and refreshment, will be held at the Lombard Commons, 433
E. St. Charles Road, Lombard. Presentations by our guest speaker will
start promptly at 8 PM.
Daniel W. Hynes was elected State
Comptroller on November 3, 1998. Following his inauguration, Hynes set
an ambitious agenda emphasizing consumer and taxpayer advocacy,
administrative efficiency and innovation in fiscal policy.
As the state’s chief fiscal
officer, Hynes engineered the creation of a Rainy Day Fund, designed to
ensure that the state can meet its financial obligations during
economic hard times and revenue slowdowns. Creation of the fund was a
part of the Comptroller’s Agenda for Financial Stability, which also
calls for controlled growth in state spending, paying down our debts
and truth-in-budgeting. The agenda passed the House but failed to
advance in the Senate in 2001 and 2002.
The Comptroller also regulates private cemeteries and funeral homes.
After holding statewide hearings and receiving input from hundreds of
citizens, Hynes spearheaded bi-partisan passage of the most sweeping
consumer protection reforms of those industries in 25 years. His office
also toughened its oversight of crematories. In addition, Hynes
established a toll-free cemetery hotline and a special web page,
advocated legislation that doubled the plot allowance benefit for
veteran burials, and sponsored the cleanup of dozens of neglected
cemeteries across the state.
Hynes believes the Comptroller
should be a watchdog for taxpayers and consumers. He cracked down on
deadbeats by sponsoring successful legislation that forces tax
scofflaws to pay their debts before they can get state contracts. He
also put sharper teeth into the state’s debt collection efforts, more
than doubling the monies collected through the Comptroller’s offset
system. In addition, he has toured college campuses statewide to warn
against the dangers of excessive credit card use.
Hynes has re-energized the Local Government Division of his office.
Under his administration, local government financial reporting
compliance has increased from 65 percent to 95 percent. In addition,
his office has provided statewide training and assistance to thousands
of local government officials, leading several townships to rebate
money to taxpayers.
Hynes further demonstrated his
commitment to responsible government by spurring passage of the Prompt
Payment Act, which reduces the maximum payment deadline to state
vendors by 30 days, ensuring that state agencies pay bills in a timely
manner. Hynes has provided extensive information on his web site about
the workings of state government, and was the first constitutional
officer to offer some of that information in Spanish.
During his tenure, Hynes has
expanded the state’s commercial direct deposit program, encouraging
state vendors to receive their payments electronically, thereby saving
money and increasing efficiency. Under Hynes’ leadership, state
employee participation in the direct deposit program has grown to
nearly 70 percent.
Before taking office, Hynes was a health care attorney for a Chicago
law firm. A native of Chicago, he married Christina Kerger, M.D., in
June 1999. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Notre
Dame in 1990 with a degree in economics and computer applications, and
earned a J.D. with Honors in 1993 from the Loyola University School of
Law. Hynes is active in numerous civic and charitable organizations.
Local
Wheaton Resident Organizes Library Employees
In an effort to bring the
benefits of collective bargaining to Wheaton Public Library employees,
Wheaton resident, Jon Myers, helped organize the first public employees
union at the Library. Jon will be on hand to tell the ongoing story of
their struggle to organize and to receive recognition from the city of
Wheaton.
All DuPage Democratic Club meetings are open to the general public. We
welcome and encourage attendance by individuals of all political views
and affiliations.
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