A top aide to Gov. Bruce Rauner slammed legislators for a "sham'' hearing on why the administration is paying its education adviser from the human services budget.
Beth Purvis is the Republican governor's Secretary of Education. She makes $250,000 a year -- more than Rauner's chief of staff.
Rauner's Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Goldberg told a House appropriations committee Thursday that Democrats are trying to distract taxpayers from the $3 billion deficit in the budget they approved.
Democratic Rep. Greg Harris says Purvis's salary could have been put to better use.
"It could have paid for a year of fully licensed daycare for 29 toddlers," Harris said, "or it could have fed 400 kids in daycares for half a year, or it could have housed 12 people with severe mental illness through the bridge subsidy program."
Rich Goldberg, one of Rauner's aides, says the salary question is a distraction.
"I do believe this is a sham hearing, held simply to distract the public from a $4 billion budget hole you just created," Goldberg said. "I think everybody knows that."
The Chicago Sun-Times reported May 27 that Purvis is on the payroll of the Department of Human Services. Rauner announced human service-spending cuts to offset the deficit.
Goldberg says previous governors routinely paid contractors through different agencies.
Committee Democrats say they weren't told DHS was paying the salary. Lawmakers took no action.
- Illinois Public Radio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
