Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability: Public Hearings Scheduled

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) today announced that it will be holding public hearings related to the closure of the Illinois Youth Center at Murphysboro and the Chester Mental Health Center in Chester.

A hearing on the closure of the Illinois Youth Center at Murphysboro will be held on October 12th at 10:30 a.m. The hearing will be conducted on the campus of Southern Illinois University - Carbondale at the Shryock Auditorium. The hearing for the Chester Mental Health Center in Chester, Illinois will be held in the Chester High School gymnasium. The Chester hearing is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. of that same day. The public is invited to attend the hearings.

Under the State Facilities Closure Act, the CGFA is required to hold public hearings when youth centers or mental health centers are closed. The hearings will consist of testimony to the Commission on each of the closures from the associated controlling agencies, local stakeholders, and concerned citizens. The Commission is mandated to give an advisory opinion within 50 days of receiving a recommendation for closure.

Anyone wishing to give oral testimony or submit written testimony can contact the Commission at 217.782.5320.

About the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability:

The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability was created in 1972 to provide the Legislature with research and information regarding state and national economies, revenue projections, and the long-term debt position of Illinois. The Commission is also charged with providing advisory opinions concerning State facility closures. The Bi-partisan Commission consists of 12 members of the General Assembly.

Members include: Senators Jeffrey M. Schoenberg (co-chair), Michael Frerichs, Matt Murphy, Suzi Schmidt,

Dave Syverson, Donne Trotter and Representatives Patricia R. Bellock (co-chair), Kevin McCarthy, Elaine Nekritz, Raymond Poe, Al Riley, Michael Tryon.

To submit public comments or testify at a hearing Contact CGFA for Public Comments or Testimony

To submit public comments or to register to be put on the agenda to give oral testimony, please contact:

Mail:

Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability

ATTN: Facility Closure

703 Stratton Building

Springfield, IL 62706

Or

Email: facilityclosure@ilga.gov

Please include:

Name:

Title:

Firm/Business or Agency:

Address:

Email:

Your Position: (Proponent, Opponent, or No position)

The type of Testimony you would like to give: (Oral Testimony at the hearing, Written Statement Filed, or Record of Appearance Only)

If submitting written testimony or comments via email, please send the written material in the body of the email or as a word document or a .pdf file.