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Community Corner

Rep. Sandack Responds to Legislative Audit Commission's Hearings on Gov. Quinn's Failed NRI Program

At the conclusion of the second day of hearings dedicated to Governor Pat Quinn’s troubled Neighborhood Recovery Initiative (NRI) program, State Representative Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove) issued the following statement:

“The process this week was frustrating, but in the end I believe the lawmakers who sit on this bipartisan, bicameral commission came together in the best interest of Illinois taxpayers. We all agreed that we must not do anything that would impede the federal grand jury investigation into Governor Quinn’s NRI program, and we all agreed that we would reconvene on October 8th to continue with our work.

“Our agreement to halt testimony for 90 days should in no way be viewed as a shut-down of our proceedings. The gathering of important and relevant documents will continue. I remain fully committed to completing our work and unearthing the full extent of the mismanagement and fraud tied to the NRI program.

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“There were several positives that emerged from this week’s audit commission meetings. I am especially pleased to know that the documents we collect in connection with our ongoing review will be posted on the panel’s public web site. These are public documents and the citizens of Illinois have a right to see them if they so desire.

“The information that the seven individuals who were subpoenaed in this case can provide will shed valuable light on the issues outlined in Auditor General William Holland’s scathing report about the widespread mismanagement of Governor Quinn’s NRI program. It is imperative that we hear their testimony when we continue with that element of our proceedings.”

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“We all have critical roles to play with regard to the NRI situation. The federal government must decide if criminal activity occurred and if criminal charges should be filed. As legislators, our role is to determine how it was possible for this level of mismanagement to take place and to provide legislative remedies that will prevent fraud and abuse like this from happening again. We have a duty to the taxpayers of Illinois to ensure that their tax dollars are put to good use and not wasted on disingenuous purposes.”


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