SPRINGFIELD – The General Assembly met in a special session at the State Capitol on Thursday to debate a proposal to create a special election for Illinois comptroller in 2016.

“Our state Constitution says that the comptroller is an elected office. We shouldn’t have a politically appointed comptroller for four years. The people should have the right to decide who’s making decisions on their behalf,” said State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield), who supports a special election. “It’s common sense and good government.”

Under current law, Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner will be able to appoint someone to the position for the next four years due to the untimely death of Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka.

The measure that passed the General Assembly addresses the wider issue of when a statewide elected official dies or leaves office. It creates a special election whenever the comptroller, attorney general, secretary of state or treasurer dies or resigns with more than two years left in his or her term.

The vacancy in the office of the comptroller has brought to light another long-discussed idea: merging the offices of the treasurer and comptroller. A merger would potentially save the state several million dollars per year.

Morrison supports the idea of a merger, and hopes the General Assembly takes up the issue during the 2015 legislative session. The process of merging the offices is complicated. It requires both chambers of the General Assembly to pass a constitutional amendment by a supermajority. The amendment would then have to be approved by the public at the next general election. At this point, the earliest the offices could be merged is 2018.

The special election measure is House Bill 4576. It now goes to the governor for his approval.