The public interacts with administrative agencies any time they apply for a driver’s license, file their taxes, send their children to public school, or apply for a business or professional license. These functions often have a hearing component, through which citizens and entities can have issues heard and decided by administrative law judges. Unfortunately, too many Illinoisans are facing long waits and inefficient processes when dealing with State administrative hearings.
On April 29, 2016, Governor Rauner issued Executive Order 2016-06, establishing a Pilot Bureau of Administrative Hearings within CMS, charged with gathering data on existing processes, assessing the feasibility of moving toward a centralized administrative hearings process, streamlining regulations related to administrative hearings, bringing the State’s case management systems into the 21st century, and improving professional development for the State’s adjudicators. Executive Order 2016-06 authorized formal participation by up to 10 executive branch agencies in the Bureau’s work. The Bureau’s end-of-pilot report is available in the publications tab.
Based on the Pilot Bureau’s record of success and the desire to continue the progress of transforming the State’s administrative hearings process, on August 2, 2017, Governor issued Executive Order 2017-04. This executive order makes the Bureau a permanent fixture in State government and expands its authority to engage with up to 25 executive branch agencies. Read the Executive Order 2017-04.