Governor Bruce Rauner has signed an Executive Order to begin a pilot program in an effort to reduce the backlog of administrative hearings in Illinois. Executive Order 16-06 will create the Bureau of Administrative Hearings at Central Management Services to analyze current administrative procedures to improve government efficiency and services for Illinois residents.
“The current system does not work, causing lengthy delays in justice for residents and businesses,” Governor Rauner said. “It’s time we address this backlog head on to give people the justice they have been waiting for.”
To reduce and eliminate the backlog of hearing requests, the pilot will explore the creation of a centralized panel of adjudicators to conduct hearings for multiple agencies. In addition, it will draft Model Rules of Administrative Procedure that can be used across all agencies to reduce confusion and legal costs.
More than 100,000 hearing requests are filed in Illinois every year by businesses and taxpayers, and many agencies have a significant backlog. For example, the Human Rights Commission has a backlog of more than 1,000 cases and it can take up to two years to conclude a hearing at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).