EAST DUNDEE – State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) says it is time for a forensic audit of Illinois' unpaid bills – some reported to have been waiting for three years.
"According to the Comptroller’s office, Illinois owes $15.1 billion in unpaid bills. This backlog is growing every day. It is telling that over a third of the money or $5.6 billion is owed to Chicago-based vendors," Skillicorn said in a statement issued Thursday. "It is an opportune time to conduct a forensic audit of the backlog to ensure that only truly legitimate expenses are paid and I am publicly calling on Comptroller Mendoza to do so.
Skillicorn said that it is appropriate for an immediate suspension of the payment penalty under the Prompt Pay Act, which will save Illinois taxpayers over $800 million.
"It is nonsensical to self-impose a penalty that was meant to be an incentive to pay our bills on time when it’s blatantly obvious that we can’t! And if you believe that to be unfair to vendors, bear in mind that currently they are being paid zero!" he said.
Some will criticize a forensic audit of the backlog as being costly and taking too much time," he said.
"In response to this, the state could potentially save billions," Skillicorn said. "Every option to save taxpayer money must be explored during this crisis. For too long the state has been spending money on auto pilot."
“Waste and fraud are hallmarks of government spending. I don’t believe our illustrious state is free of such abuses, so let’s find out exactly where we stand,” said Skillicorn. “On most of our backlog we are over 8 months behind on payments. Surely, timely payments is not a believable excuse any longer. How many of our bills are owed to family members of convicted felon Bill Cellini? How much is owed to Speaker Madigan’s law firm? How many ‘connected’ individuals are on the list? How much of our backlog is going towards corruption? I publicly call on Comptroller Susanna Mendoza to conduct a forensic audit on the entire $15.1 billion backlog immediately!”
