- Illinois Comptroller
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The Comptroller of Illinois is an elected official of the U.S. state of Illinois. He or she is responsible for maintaining the State's accounts, and for ordering payments into and out of them. The office was created by the Illinois Constitution of 1970, replacing the office of Auditor of Public Accounts.
Contents
Current occupant and duties
As of 2011[update], the Comptroller of Illinois is Judy Baar Topinka, a member of the Republican Party.
The Comptroller is charged, by the terms of Section 17 of Article V of the Constitution of Illinois, with the duties of: (a) maintaining the central fiscal accounts of the state, and (b) ordering payments into and out of the funds held by the Treasurer of Illinois. In accordance with this duty, the Comptroller signs paychecks or grants approval to electronic payments made by the state to its employees and creditors.[1]
The Comptroller is also charged, by Illinois statute, with certain additional duties. In particular, the Comptroller regulates cemeteries under the Cemetery Care Act, and is charged with the fiduciary protection of cemetery care funds used for the care and maintenance of Illinois gravesites.[2]
The Illinois Constitution provides that the comptroller must, at the time of his or her election, be a United States citizen, at least 25 years old, and a resident of the state for at least 3 years preceding the election.[1]
The Comptroller's office operates a web page describing the office's powers and duties.[3]
Controversy
Some legislators have perceived a redundancy overlap between the offices of Comptroller and Treasurer, and have therefore proposed constitutional amendments to merge the two offices and earn administrative savings. For example, HJRCA 12, considered by the Illinois General Assembly in the 2008-2009 session, would merge the office of Comptroller into the office of Treasurer.[4]
List of office holders
The following is an historic list of office holders for the Comptroller of Illinois and its preceding office, the Auditor of Public Accounts.[5]
Auditors of Public Accounts, Northwest Territory
- Rice Bullock (1799-1800)
Auditors of Public Accounts, Indiana Territory
- vacant (1801-1809)
Auditors of Public Accounts, Illinois Territory
- vacant (1809-1812)
- H. H. Maxwell (1812-1816)
- Daniel Pope Cook (1816)
- Robert Blackwell (1817)
- Elijah C. Berry (1817-1818)
Auditors of Public Accounts, State of Illinois
- Elijah C. Berry (1818-1831)
- James T. B. Stapp (1831-1835)
- Levi Davis (1835-1841)
- James Shields (1841-1843)
- William L. D. Ewing (1843-1846)
- Thomas H. Campbell (1846-1857)
- Jessie K. DuBois (1857-1864)
- Orlin H. Miner (1864-1869)
- Charles E. Lippincott (1869-1877)
- Thomas B. Needles (1877-1881)
- Charles P. Swigart (1881-1889)
- Charles W. Pavey (1889-1893)
- David Gore (1893-1897)
- James S. McCullough (1897-1913)
- James J. Brady (1913-1917)
- Andrew Russell (1917-1925)
- Oscar Nelson (1926-1933)
- Edward J. Barrett (1933-1941)
- Arthur C. Lueder (1941-1949)
- Benjamin O. Cooper (1949-1953)
- Orville E. Hodge (1953-1956)
- Lloyd Morey (1956-1957)
- Elbert S. Smith (1957-1961)
- Michael J. Howlett (1961-1973)
Comptrollers, State of Illinois
- George W. Lindberg (1973-1977)
- Michael J. Bakalis (1977-1979)
- Roland W. Burris (1979-1991)
- Dawn Clark Netsch (1991-1995)
- Loleta A. Didrickson (1995-1999)
- Daniel W. Hynes (1999-2011)
- Judy Baar Topinka (2011-Present)
References
- ^ a b Section 3, Article V, "Constitution of Illinois", accessed April 12, 2008.
- ^ 760 ILCS 100/1 et seq., "Illinois Compiled Statutes", accessed April 12, 2008.
- ^ "Illinois State Comptroller Daniel W. Hynes", accessed April 12, 2008.Illinois State Comptroller web page
- ^ "House Joint Resolution - Constitutional Amendment 12". http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=76&GA=96&DocTypeId=HJRCA&DocNum=12&GAID=10&LegID=41325&SpecSess=&Session=. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
- ^ History of the Office of Comptroller of Illinois
Categories:- Government of Illinois
- Comptrollers of Illinois
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