About Comptroller Daniel W. Hynes

Daniel W. Hynes (Democrat) is serving his third term as State Comptroller. As the state's chief fiscal officer, Hynes, 40, has made government more accountable to the citizens of Illinois and has been outspoken in pursuit of wasteful spending. As a public servant, he has forcefully advocated for the public good. And, on matters of ethical leadership and governance, he has led both by legislative action and personal example.

His continuing crusade to institute long-term budget reform resulted in legislation that spurned quick fixes and created both a Rainy Day Fund and a permanent funding stream to pay for it. He continued in 2008 to advocate for legislation addressing structural budget issues that jeopardize health care access to the poor and elderly. His "Fiscal State of the State" report issued in 2008 further challenged legislators to increase investment in education and shore up the state's retirement systems.

In the midst of budgetary crises, he successfully blocked a foreign firm from receiving payment for flu vaccines it had not delivered, saved taxpayers $9.6 million by forcing the shut-down of a state-funded international business development group that an IOC audit showed was wasting money on lavish expenditures, and froze payments for member initiative pork projects.

Hynes' four-year fight for ethics reform resulted in unanimous passage in 2008 of landmark legislation that would greatly curb pay-to-play politics in Illinois. The bill, awaiting the Governor's signature, prohibits businesses with more than $50,000 in state contracts from making political donations to constitutional officers who award the contracts and candidates for those offices. The ban also applies to a company's owners, top officials and close family members. In 2005, he issued an Executive Order banning campaign contributions from persons with more than $10,000 in contracts with the Comptroller's Office, becoming the first Constitutional Officer to impose such a ban.

He also sponsored successful legislation barring corporations from getting state contracts for five years if they are convicted of accounting fraud, fought to prohibit the state from doing business with corporations that incorporate in foreign tax havens to escape paying their fair share of Illinois taxes, passed legislation that bars tax scofflaws and child support deadbeats from getting state contracts, and tightened state contracting requirements to provide greater public scrutiny of the contracting process.

In 2007, he created a user-friendly web site that allows citizens to "follow the money" by tracking political contributions made by companies that have state contracts. The site, www.openbook.illinoiscomptroller.com, has received an average of 6,000 searches a month since it went online.

Hynes' advocacy for the public good is highlighted by his efforts to secure state funding for stem cell research, which culminated in the creation of the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute in 2005. IRMI has awarded $15 million in grants to medical research facilities for the development of stem cell-based treatments and cures for diseases that affect nearly every family in Illinois, making Illinois the first state in the Midwest to commit public funds to this life-saving work.

Hynes believes the Comptroller should be a watchdog for taxpayers and consumers. To that end, he championed legislation that stopped the implementation of new federal rules that would have resulted in the elimination of overtime pay for as many as 350,000 Illinois workers. And he signed an Executive Order that requires recipients of state construction contracts and grants to pay their workers a prevailing wage. In 2006, he established a searchable database of prevailing wage projects and named a Prevailing Wage Officer to enforce the state's Prevailing Wage Act.

The Comptroller regulates private cemeteries and funeral homes. After holding statewide hearings and receiving input from hundreds of citizens, Hynes spearheaded bi-partisan passage of the most sweeping consumer protection reforms of those industries in 25 years. His office also toughened its oversight of crematories and has initiated legal actions that resulted in monetary restitution to hundreds of defrauded cemetery and funeral home customers. In addition, Hynes established a toll-free cemetery hotline and a special web page, created and distributed a consumer video, advocated legislation that doubled the plot allowance benefit for veteran burials, and sponsored the cleanup of dozens of neglected cemeteries across the state.

Hynes has re-energized the Local Government Division of his office. Under his administration, local government financial reporting compliance has increased from 65 percent to 95 percent. In addition, his office has provided statewide training and assistance to thousands of local government officials, which has resulted in initiatives that saved money for local taxpayers.

Hynes has further demonstrated his commitment to openness and accountability by providing extensive information on his web site, both in English and Spanish, about the workings of state government. His Public Accountability Project has become an established reporting system that offers a comprehensive view of what each government program is intended to accomplish and whether it has met its goals.

During his tenure, Hynes has initiated cash management practices that have provided payment relief to thousands of state vendors and generated hundreds of millions in accelerated revenues for the State of Illinois. He has made the state a better business partner by strengthening the Prompt Payment Act so that vendors receive interest when reimbursements for goods and services they provided are severely delayed. He has also expanded the state's commercial direct deposit program, encouraging state vendors to receive their payments electronically, thereby saving money and increasing efficiency. Under Hynes' leadership, participation in the direct deposit program has grown substantially and he has put sharper teeth into the state's debt collection efforts, more than doubling the monies collected through the Comptroller's offset system.