Illinois lawmakers have been unable to come together on a state budget, but they did reach a significant bipartisan agreement Tuesday.
Illinois' current Auditor General -- Bill Holland -- is retiring at the end of the year.
Legislators -- on both sides of the aisle -- have agreed that Frank Mautino should replace him.
Mautino has been a Democratic state representative for Bureau and surrounding counties for two decades; for about half of them, he's served as co-chair of the legislature's audit commission.
A three-fifths vote was required in both chambers of the General Assembly in order for Mautino to clinch the job.
He easily surpassed that, with zero no votes in the Senate; the House tally was 102 to ten, with all Republican opposition (Reps. Andersson, Batinick, Frese, Jeisel, Ives, McDermed, Morrison, Phillips, Wehrli and Wheeler).
After the vote, Mautino stood on the House floor to thank his colleagues. "We've made great friendships and great strides here. I'm proud of each and every one of you," he said. "As the next Auditor General, with the confidence that you have shown in me I promise that I will ... take on the legacy of Bill Holland."
Mautino went on to thank Holland for his service.
Mautino's ten-year term will begin in January. As auditor general, he'll be in charge of scrutinizing state funds and investigating government agencies' and programs' performance.
