Executive Order Number 16-11

Executive Order Number 2016-11

 

EXECUTIVE ORDER 2016-11

EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL
COMMISSION AND THE OFFICE OF THE ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL

WHEREAS, August 26, 2018 will mark the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Illinois Constitution of 1818 at the Kaskaskia Convention, and December 3, 2018 will mark the 200th anniversary of the admission of Illinois to the Union as a state; and

WHEREAS, the bicentennial of our statehood is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the many cultural, economic, academic, and political contributions that Illinois and its residents have made to the nation and the world; and

WHEREAS, the bicentennial is also an opportunity to invite the world to Illinois and to showcase our core assets, including our community of global leaders; diverse and well-educated workforce; prominent institutions for technology, innovation, and higher education; exceptional quality of life with abundant outdoor recreation, magnificent arts and culture, endless nightlife and entertainment, and world class dining and hotels; central and modern infrastructure; and fertile farmland and abundant fresh water; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order 7 (2014) established a 77-member State Bicentennial Commission empowered to hire personnel to plan the State’s bicentennial celebration program; and

WHEREAS, Illinoisans should expect that membership on their Bicentennial Commission not be merely symbolic, but should see that commissioners work with and for them to advance their vision of Illinois’ past and future; and

WHEREAS, a Bicentennial Commission representing the diversity and ingenuity of our State should play an active role advising the State with the planning of the bicentennial, and a Commission of 77 members is unworkable for achieving this goal; and

WHEREAS, as Governor, I recognize the important of the bicentennial celebration as a way to honor the citizens and the history of our great state, and set a course for success over our next 200 years; and

WHEREAS, our State agencies should work together with the Commission and the State’s citizens and businesses to share their vision and projects to mark the 200th anniversary;

THEREFORE, I, Bruce Rauner, Governor of Illinois, by virtue of the executive authority vested in me by Article V of the Constitution of the State of Illinois, do hereby order as follows:

I. CREATION OF THE OFFICE OF THE ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL

There is hereby established the Governor’s Office of the Illinois Bicentennial (the “Bicentennial Office”). The Office shall be headed by an Executive Director, who shall be appointed by the Governor.

II. PURPOSE

The Bicentennial Office shall develop and implement a statewide program to celebrate the bicentennial of the adoption of the Illinois’s first constitution and its admission to the Union as a state and showcase Illinois’ hard-working citizens and world-class assets. It will work collaboratively with members of the public, State agencies, units of local government, and public and private organizations to identify significant achievements in Illinois history to highlight through celebration. The Bicentennial Office also will seek opportunities to promote the successes to come in Illinois’s next 200 years.

III. DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS

IV. REVOCATION OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 7 (2014)

1. Executive Order 7 (2014) is revoked and rescinded.

2. The State Bicentennial Commission established by Executive Order 7 (2014) is abolished. All records, property, and other associated items in any way pertaining to the functions of the State Bicentennial Commission shall be delivered and transferred to the Bicentennial Office. The unexpended balances of any appropriations or funds, grants, donations, or other moneys available for use by the State Bicentennial Commission shall be transferred to the Bicentennial Office for use by such office, and shall be expended for similar purposes for which the appropriations, funds, grants, or other moneys were originally made or given to the State Bicentennial Commission. Any employee of the State Bicentennial Commission is transferred to the Bicentennial Office. The status and rights of any such employee, the State, and its agencies under the Personnel Code shall not be affected by such transfer.

V. ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION

1. There is hereby established the Illinois Bicentennial Commission (the “ Commission”). The Commission shall advise and assist the Bicentennial Office in planning and implementing the State’s bicentennial celebration. The Bicentennial Office and certain State agencies, including the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture and the Historic Preservation Agency (including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum) shall provide administrative and technical assistance to the Commission.

2. The Commission shall comprise the following members: No more than [40] members appointed by the Governor; one member appointed by each of the following: (a)the President of the Illinois Senate, (b)the Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate, (c)the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, (c)the Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, (d)the Attorney General, (d)the Lieutenant Governor, (e)the Treasurer, (f)the Comptroller, (g)the Secretary of State, (h)the Mayor of the City of Chicago, and (i)the Mayor of the City of Springfield. Members shall serve without compensation or reimbursement. The chairperson or co-chairpersons of the Commission shall be designated by the Governor. Additionally, the Governor may appoint, as non-voting members, representatives of public and private agencies and organizations partnering with the Commission. Upon the resignation of any member of the Commission, the office with the authority under this Section V(2) to appoint such member shall fill the vacancy.

3. The Commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson or co-chairpersons. A majority of the appointed and serving members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The Commission is subject to, and shall comply with, the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act. The Commission shall be an advisory body to the Bicentennial Office that will not make binding recommendations or determinations.

4. The Commission may solicit and access donations of labor, services, or other things of value from any public or private agency or person in compliance with all applicable state and federal law, including the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (5 ILCS 420).

5. The Commission shall be dissolved on December 31, 2018. Upon such dissolution, all personnel records, documents, books, correspondence, and other property, both real and personal, of the Commission shall become property of the Office of the Governor or shall be transferred to the State Archives.

VI. SAVINGS CLAUSE

This Executive Order does not contravene, and shall not be construed to contravene, any federal or State law or any collective bargaining agreement. This Executive Order shall not affect any act undertaken, ratified or cancelled or any right occurring or established or any action or proceeding commenced in an administrative, civil, or criminal case before this Executive Order takes effect, but these actions or proceedings may be prosecuted and continued by the Department.

VII. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE

If any part of this Executive Order is found invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

VIII. EFFECTIVE DATE

This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon its filing with the Secretary of State.