State of Illinois

Ninety-Fifth General Assembly

House of Representatives

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION No. 1190


 

 

 

    WHEREAS, In 2006, Governor Rod Blagojevich promised to

 

 

provide State money to Pilgrim Baptist Church (the "Church") in

 

 

Chicago to rebuild following a fire; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, In March of 2007, a $1 million grant allegedly

 

 

intended for the Church was misdirected to the private Loop Lab

 

 

School, which had previously occupied space in a Church

 

 

building, but is otherwise unaffiliated with it; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, The grant was provided by funds appropriated to

 

 

the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity;

 

 

and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, Loop Lab School reportedly used the $1 million

 

 

grant from the State of Illinois to purchase space in a

 

 

downtown high-rise, but has not yet reopened as a school

 

 

facility; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, Reportedly, the Governor's Office and Church

 

 

officials are negotiating a new grant agreement to provide the

 

 

Church with the promised assistance; and
 

 

 

    WHEREAS, In the meantime, no attempts at recovering the

 

 

funds misdirected to Loop Lab School have been made; therefore,

 

 

be it
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that

 

 

the Auditor General is directed to conduct a management audit

 

 

of the process involved in the $1 million grant to Loop Lab

 

 

School; and be it further
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, That this management audit include, but not be

 

 

limited to, the following determinations:

 

 

        (1) how and when the funds were promised to the Church,

 

 

    and what process was followed, if any;

 

 

        (2) how and when the funds were provided to the Loop

 

 

    Lab School, and what process was followed, if any;

 

 

        (3) what person or persons were involved in these

 

 

    transactions;

 

 

        (4) what internal controls are present in the grant

 

 

    award process at the Illinois Department of Commerce and

 

 

    Economic Opportunity, and whether those internal controls

 

 

    were followed and are adequate to ensure that grants are

 

 

    awarded to proper parties for intended purposes;

 

 

        (5) what actions, if any, are being followed to either

 

 

    recover the misdirected funds and/or determine the purpose

 

 

    for which the funds have been used, and whether they have

 

 

    been used for a legitimate purpose; and

 

 

        (6) whether a grant to the Church is currently being

 

 

    developed and, if so, what controls will be put in place to

 

 

    ensure the funds, if provided, are used for their intended

 

 

    purpose; and be it further
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, That we urge that the Illinois Department of

 

 

Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Office of the Governor,

 

 

and any other entity having information relevant to this audit

 

 

cooperate fully and promptly with the Auditor General's Office

 

 

in the conduct of this audit; and be it further
 

 

 

    RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as

 

 

soon as possible and report his findings and recommendations

 

 

upon completion in accordance with the provisions of Section

 

 

3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act.

 

Adopted by the House Of representatives on May 1, 2008