Illinois lawmakers seek to eliminate state diversity commission

By Jared Strong | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) — An Illinois state commission has failed its mission to aid businesses owned by racial minorities, women and people with disabilities and should therefore be disbanded, according to a group of Republican lawmakers who comprise the Illinois Freedom Caucus.

The news release came after legislative hearings that were in response to an investigation by The Center Square exposing the failures.

“What the Democrats claim was intended to expand opportunity in state contracting has instead become a multi-million dollar failure for taxpayers; creating barriers, reducing participation, and adding unnecessary bureaucracy,” the group wrote in a news release.

The call to eliminate the Commission on Equity and Inclusion comes amid bipartisan criticism of its work as lawmakers consider its proposed $5.6 million budget for the next fiscal year. Additionally, the seven commissioners each earn about $150,000 annually that is paid from a separate funding source.

In their critiques in recent weeks, lawmakers have repeatedly cited reporting from The Center Square, which found that the commissioners have less responsibility than their counterparts elsewhere in government, have worked side jobs for pay, and have overseen a dramatic decline in businesses they certify for preference in government contracting.

That decline is the result of the commission’s choice to switch to a new software provider that has made it more difficult for some businesses to gain state certification. The total number of those businesses had peaked at about 5,400 but has dwindled to about 2,850 recently.

The commission’s executive director said this week that a fix for that problem will be implemented by June, which is about two years after it surfaced.

“After recent testimony, it is clear this commission is doing the exact opposite of what it was created to do,” state Rep. Brad Halbrook, a member of the Freedom Caucus, said in a prepared statement. “The taxpayers have paid millions of dollars for failure, plain and simple. We don’t need to fund this commission once again; we need to abolish it and start over. JB Pritzker needs to take accountability for this commission under his watch, do the right thing, and deliver some accountability for Illinoisans.”

Gov. Pritzker appointed the seven commissioners. Lawmakers created the commission in 2022.

The Center Square tried to get comment from staff and commissioners Wednesday at a meeting in Springfield but they refused to answer any questions.