HR0149 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0149 LRB102 17499 MST 23052 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of James B. Burns, who passed away on December 10, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns' legacy of honesty, fairness, and transparency leaves an indelible mark on the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns was appointed Secretary of State Inspector General by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White in April 2000 as the office had been under a cloud of controversy and corruption prior to White's election; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns, upon taking office, expanded the size of the Inspector General's office, hiring professional investigators from a variety of law enforcement backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns successfully initiated legislation that made the position of Secretary of State Inspector General permanent and broadened its powers to find and remove corruption; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns' successful legislation mandated that the Secretary of State appoint, with the advice and consent of the Illinois Senate, a qualified Inspector General for the purpose of detection and deterrence and prevention of fraud, waste, mismanagement, and misconduct; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns' legislative efforts provided the Inspector General's office with subpoena powers, strong whistleblower protections, audit authority, and protected positions for Inspector General staff; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns implemented several corruption-combating initiatives, including an Audit Review Committee to provide a proactive element to evaluate all audit reports and improve systems and programs within the Secretary of State's office, a hotline and the website ReportItNow.net that allow the public or employees to file complaints, and an office-wide newsletter to communicate announcements with rank and file employees; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns instituted a computer-based case management system to improve efficiency in day-to-day operations of the Secretary of State's office, as well as to provide law enforcement with a means of tracking suspicious conduct patterns; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns worked to strengthen the relationship between the Illinois Secretary of State's office and outside law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Attorney's offices; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns made it his mission to visit Secretary of State Driver Services facilities statewide in an ongoing effort to foster a transparent and accessible relationship between the Inspector General's office and facility employees; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns worked tirelessly in his role as Inspector General to help restore integrity and eliminate all forms of institutionalized wrongdoing in the Illinois Secretary of State's office; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns served as a strong, visible, and independent Inspector General for more than 20 years, which resulted in restoring the public trust and changing the culture of the Illinois Secretary of State's office; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, at the recommendation of U.S. Senator Paul Simon, as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, a post he held until 1997; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns, as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, managed an office of 250 staff members, including 130 federal prosecutors; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns, as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, prosecuted violent street gangs, public corruption, international drug smugglers, organized crime, white-collar financial fraud, environmental and civil rights violations, government contract fraud, and health care and insurance fraud; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns, prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District, worked in private practice in Chicago, where he specialized in civil litigation, regulatory matters, sensitive investigations, and white-collar criminal defense; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns was a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns served as an assistant U.S. Attorney from 1971 to 1978, during which time he tried dozens of cases as a federal prosecutor, eventually attaining the position of Chief of the Criminal Litigation Division; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns played one year of professional basketball; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns earned both his Bachelor of Arts in History in 1967 and his law degree in 1971 from Northwestern University; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns was an All-American and Academic All-American basketball player; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns was long active in the academic, athletic, and alumni affairs of Northwestern University and served on the Board of Trustees and the Visiting Committee of the School of Law; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns received the Northwestern Alumni Association's Service Award and the Northwestern University's Law School Alumni Merit Award; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns was selected in 1992 for the Silver Anniversary All-American Team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, based on his outstanding basketball and career achievements; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns led McLeansboro High School to fourth place in the state basketball tournament; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns was born in Quincy and raised in McLeansboro; he resided in Evanston for much of his adulthood and was a resident of Wilmette at the time of his death; and

WHEREAS, Jim Burns is survived by his beloved wife, Marty; his three children who filled him with pride, Camille, Heather, and Jim; and a grandson who he loved and adored, Jaany; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Jim Burns and extend our sincere condolences to his family, his friends, his many coworkers, including Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Jim Burns as an expression of our deepest sympathy.