A press release from Governor Bruce Rauner:

Governor Signs Executive Order 15-16 to Improve Hiring Process in State Agencies

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Bruce Rauner signed Executive Order 15-16 today to remove a layer of government bureaucracy in hiring civil-service positions (Rutan-covered positions) and to protect the hiring process from unlawful political influence.

Executive Order 15-16 rescinds Executive Order 03-01, which required the Governor’s Office to review and approve the hiring and promotion decisions of Rutan-covered positions at state agencies.

This system was inefficient, contributing to significant delays in hiring and promotion decisions. It also became a tool for political patronage, which led to an increase in patronage hiring in previous administrations.

Governor Rauner requested Illinois Central Management Services and the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget to review this system – known as EPAR – and they recommended it be discontinued.

Agencies will be subject to budget and headcount limits, but will be allowed to fill Rutan-covered positions according to the applicable personnel rules and collective-bargaining agreements.

Executive Order 15-16 also requires all employment and personal services contracts going forward to allow the State to terminate the contract without penalty.

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Rutan is the name of a U.S. Supreme Court case won by attorney Mary Lee Leahy. It was brought against Governor Jim Thompson’s hiring practices. The result was a governor has a limited number of management and personal positions that can be hired without regard to regular state hiring practices.

Leahy was one of Thompson predecessor Dan Walker’s Director of Children and Family Services.