Bill Text: IL HR0149 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of James B. Burns.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-03-18 - Resolution Adopted [HR0149 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-HR0149-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of James B.
Burns, who passed away on December 10, 2020; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns' legacy of honesty, fairness, and
transparency leaves an indelible mark on the State of
Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns was appointed Secretary of State
Inspector General by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White
in April 2000 as the office had been under a cloud of
controversy and corruption prior to White's election; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns, upon taking office, expanded the size
of the Inspector General's office, hiring professional
investigators from a variety of law enforcement backgrounds;
and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns successfully initiated legislation that
made the position of Secretary of State Inspector General
permanent and broadened its powers to find and remove
corruption; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns' successful legislation mandated that

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the Secretary of State appoint, with the advice and consent of
the Illinois Senate, a qualified Inspector General for the
purpose of detection and deterrence and prevention of fraud,
waste, mismanagement, and misconduct; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns' legislative efforts provided the
Inspector General's office with subpoena powers, strong
whistleblower protections, audit authority, and protected
positions for Inspector General staff; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns implemented several
corruption-combating initiatives, including an Audit Review
Committee to provide a proactive element to evaluate all audit
reports and improve systems and programs within the Secretary
of State's office, a hotline and the website ReportItNow.net
that allow the public or employees to file complaints, and an
office-wide newsletter to communicate announcements with rank
and file employees; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns instituted a computer-based case
management system to improve efficiency in day-to-day
operations of the Secretary of State's office, as well as to
provide law enforcement with a means of tracking suspicious
conduct patterns; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns worked to strengthen the relationship

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between the Illinois Secretary of State's office and outside
law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Attorney's offices;
and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns made it his mission to visit Secretary
of State Driver Services facilities statewide in an ongoing
effort to foster a transparent and accessible relationship
between the Inspector General's office and facility employees;
and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns worked tirelessly in his role as
Inspector General to help restore integrity and eliminate all
forms of institutionalized wrongdoing in the Illinois
Secretary of State's office; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns served as a strong, visible, and
independent Inspector General for more than 20 years, which
resulted in restoring the public trust and changing the
culture of the Illinois Secretary of State's office; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns was appointed by President Bill Clinton
in 1993, at the recommendation of U.S. Senator Paul Simon, as
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, a post he
held until 1997; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns, as U.S. Attorney for the Northern

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District of Illinois, managed an office of 250 staff members,
including 130 federal prosecutors; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns, as U.S. Attorney for the Northern
District of Illinois, prosecuted violent street gangs, public
corruption, international drug smugglers, organized crime,
white-collar financial fraud, environmental and civil rights
violations, government contract fraud, and health care and
insurance fraud; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns, prior to his appointment as U.S.
Attorney for the Northern District, worked in private practice
in Chicago, where he specialized in civil litigation,
regulatory matters, sensitive investigations, and white-collar
criminal defense; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns was a fellow in the American College of
Trial Lawyers; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns served as an assistant U.S. Attorney
from 1971 to 1978, during which time he tried dozens of cases
as a federal prosecutor, eventually attaining the position of
Chief of the Criminal Litigation Division; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns played one year of professional
basketball; and

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WHEREAS, Jim Burns earned both his Bachelor of Arts in
History in 1967 and his law degree in 1971 from Northwestern
University; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns was an All-American and Academic
All-American basketball player; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns was long active in the academic,
athletic, and alumni affairs of Northwestern University and
served on the Board of Trustees and the Visiting Committee of
the School of Law; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns received the Northwestern Alumni
Association's Service Award and the Northwestern University's
Law School Alumni Merit Award; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns was selected in 1992 for the Silver
Anniversary All-American Team by the National Association of
Basketball Coaches, based on his outstanding basketball and
career achievements; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns led McLeansboro High School to fourth
place in the state basketball tournament; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns was born in Quincy and raised in

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McLeansboro; he resided in Evanston for much of his adulthood
and was a resident of Wilmette at the time of his death; and
WHEREAS, Jim Burns is survived by his beloved wife, Marty;
his three children who filled him with pride, Camille,
Heather, and Jim; and a grandson who he loved and adored,
Jaany; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we mourn the passing of Jim Burns and extend our sincere
condolences to his family, his friends, his many coworkers,
including Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, and all who
knew and loved him; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of Jim Burns as an expression of our
deepest sympathy.