Quinn says IYC closing a done deal

Updated: November 7, 2012 4:41PM

JOLIET — Gov. Pat Quinn while in Joliet on Friday said he will not reconsider his decision to close the state juvenile detention facility in town.

While local legislators still want to persuade the governor otherwise, Quinn said he will not change his mind. Quinn said he knows his decision to close Illinois Youth Center-Joliet “is not a popular one here, but our state has to pay its bills. I already made that decision, and we’re going forward.”

The governor repeated his case that the state needs to make budget cuts and there are too many juvenile facilities than are needed. Another youth center in Murphysboro also is being closed.

But state Sen. Pat McGuire, D-Joliet, said he and state Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood, have not given up the effort to keep IYC-Joliet open. The facility is scheduled to close Dec. 31. Quinn addressed the IYC-Joliet issue when taking questions after a bill-signing ceremony at Cantigny Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 367 in Joliet.

He was there to sign the first bill for which Walsh was a chief co-sponsor after being appointed to the Legislature in the spring. The bill provides a new license plate at no cost to eligible veterans. The plate recognizes disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder related to military service, but it does not provide the parking privileges provided by plates for veterans with physical disabilities.

Quinn also signed four bills sponsored by Rep. Emily McAsey, D-Lockport, including the State Vehicle Use Act. The law provides for greater oversight of the use of state vehicles.

McAsey said the law should be particularly useful in setting policies for the use of state vehicles that employees are allowed to take home.

In 2010, McAsey passed a resolution calling for an audit on the state vehicle fleet, and that audit found that more than 5,000 state vehicles were authorized to be taken home by employees. The state has more than 16,000 vehicles.

Show / Hide Comments