Connelly legislation to limit 'golden parachutes'

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The State Senate passed legislation sponsored by State Sen. Michael Connelly (R-Wheaton) to curb excessive severance packages at community colleges in response to the College of DuPage Trustees approving a $763,000 contact buyout for President Robert Breuder.

“The worst part of the excessive severance package is that the former Board of Trustees did it behind closed doors in executive session. To me and thousands of others citizens, that is the most blatant disregard for the taxpayer,” Connelly said.

House Bill 3593 limits community college employment contracts to four years, if they have “determinate” dates. Additionally, severance packages would be limited to only one-year of pay and benefits. Any contract extension or benefit increase must be heard before a public hearing and voted on by a Board of Trustees, thus not in an executive, closed-door session.

Connelly’s legislation is just the latest in series of bills aimed at scaling back the recent abuses of public trust by the College of DuPage. The Senator also passed legislation that would effectively ban the use of public tax dollars to publish what amounted to campaign mailers in the weekend before the recent consolidated elections.

House Bill 3593 passed the Senate on May 30 and now awaits a concurrence vote in the House of Representatives before it heads to the Governor’s desk.