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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Section 3 of Article VIII of the Constitution of
3the State of Illinois provides that the General Assembly, by a
4vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house,
5shall appoint an Auditor General; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Section 3 of Article VIII of the Constitution of
7the State of Illinois provides that the General Assembly, by a
8vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house, may
9remove the Auditor General for cause; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Senate and the House of Representatives
11adopted Senate Joint Resolution 35 on October 20, 2015 to
12appoint Frank J. Mautino as Auditor General; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino's term commenced
14on January 1, 2016 for a term of 10 years; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Frank J. Mautino served as chairman of the
16political committee referred to as the Committee for Frank J.
17Mautino that was established on September 6, 1999 and closed
18on December 30, 2015; and
 
19    WHEREAS, On August 19, 2019, in Cooke v. Illinois State
20Board of Elections, et al., the 4th District Appellate Court

 

 

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1of the State of Illinois determined that the Committee for
2Frank J. Mautino had violated paragraphs (2) and (9) of
3subsection (a) of Section 9-8.10 of the Election Code relating
4to the improper expenditure of campaign funds for personal
5use, and remanded the matter to the Illinois State Board of
6Elections to determine the fine to be imposed for those
7violations; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino acknowledged
9over three years ago that there was an ongoing investigation
10by the United States Attorney's Office into the spending of
11campaign funds by the Committee for Frank J. Mautino, which
12investigation is ongoing; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino has repeatedly
14refused to respond to requests for information submitted by
15members of the General Assembly regarding allegations of
16misappropriation of campaign funds and ethical concerns; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino has avoided
18answering questions from the State Board of Elections, leaving
19the Board unable to determine whether the Committee for Frank
20J. Mautino was innocent of the charges brought against it; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The investigation by the United States Attorney's
22Office may not be concluded for months or years; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Taxpayers deserve and require an Auditor General
2beyond reproach who is not the subject of an ongoing federal
3investigation and who has not committed major campaign finance
4violations; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The ongoing investigations into the Committee for
6Frank J. Mautino and serious allegations leveled against Frank
7J. Mautino demonstrate his inability to conduct the Office of
8Auditor General in an impartial and professional manner;
9therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
11HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
12SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that Frank J. Mautino has neglected
13his duty to the General Assembly by refusing to respond to
14legislative inquiries regarding specific allegations involving
15misappropriation of campaign funds and ethical concerns; and
16be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That, pursuant to Section 3 of Article VIII of
18the Illinois Constitution, Auditor General Frank J. Mautino
19shall have been afforded due process and the opportunity to
20appear before each chamber, prior to any vote on removal, to
21respond to the charges contained in this resolution; and be it
22further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That, by the vote of three-fifths of the members
2elected to each chamber of the General Assembly pursuant to
3Section 3 of Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of
4Illinois, Frank J. Mautino is removed as Auditor General for
5the State of Illinois immediately; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That, pursuant to Section 3 of Article VIII of
7the Illinois Constitution, Frank J. Mautino is to be removed
8for cause and shall be removed from office as the Auditor
9General of the State of Illinois.