Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner is officially moving forward with plans to close a Department of Corrections work camp in Hardin and the Illinois State Museum in Springfield.
Anytime such a closure would affect the jobs of 25 or more state workers, it triggers a process that gives legislators and the public time to weigh in. That begins with the administration having to file paperwork of its closure plans with a non-partisan state government commission.
Dan Long, the director of the state commission on forecasting, says Rauner's office turned in paperwork to begin the closure process. Long says the next step requires the administration to turn in information on the consequences of shutting down those facilities.
"That has to include information in terms of the number of employees involved, the impact it'll have on closing the facility, what the economic impact would be -- there's a whole series of questions which have to be addressed," Long said.
Ultimately, a bipartisan group of legislators will make a recommendation on whether the prison work camp and state museum should close or not.
But the final decision remains with the governor.
Rauner -- a Republican -- issued a press release earlier this month saying he plans to also close some youth prisons. He did not specify which ones.
Long says no paperwork has been filed to begin the closure of any juvenile detention centers.
