Illinois Commerce Commission
Encyclopedia
The Illinois Commerce Commission is a quasi-judicial tribunal which regulates public utility services in the U.S. state
of Illinois
. The mission of the ICC is "to pursue an appropriate balance between the interest of consumers and existing and emerging service providers to ensure the provision of adequate, efficient, reliable, safe and least-cost public utility services." The most visible part of this mission is the setting of rates and charges for service by public utilites. (For the ICC, the term "public utility" includes private companies serving the public, but not municipal utilities that are, in a sense, owned by the public.) Examples of utility types regulated by the ICC include electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and sewer. The ICC also regulates certain transportation activies, including railroad safety, towing, trucking, and household goods moving.
Since the 1970's, the Commission's Springfield, Illinois headquarters has been in the former Leland Hotel
.
for five year terms and confirmed by the Illinois Senate
. Under Illinois law, no more than three Commissioners may belong to the same political party. Notable commissioners include:
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The mission of the ICC is "to pursue an appropriate balance between the interest of consumers and existing and emerging service providers to ensure the provision of adequate, efficient, reliable, safe and least-cost public utility services." The most visible part of this mission is the setting of rates and charges for service by public utilites. (For the ICC, the term "public utility" includes private companies serving the public, but not municipal utilities that are, in a sense, owned by the public.) Examples of utility types regulated by the ICC include electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and sewer. The ICC also regulates certain transportation activies, including railroad safety, towing, trucking, and household goods moving.
Since the 1970's, the Commission's Springfield, Illinois headquarters has been in the former Leland Hotel
Leland Hotel (Springfield, Illinois)
The Leland Hotel in Springfield, Illinois is a building that currently houses the Springfield office of the Illinois Commerce Commission.The horseshoe sandwich, a local food specialty, was first served at the Leland Hotel in 1928....
.
Notable Chairmen and Commissioners
The ICC has five Commissioners, who are appointed by the Governor of IllinoisGovernor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
for five year terms and confirmed by the Illinois Senate
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...
. Under Illinois law, no more than three Commissioners may belong to the same political party. Notable commissioners include:
- Frank L. SmithFrank L. SmithFrank Leslie Smith was an Illinois politician. He served as a United States Congressman from 1919 to 1921. He was elected by the people of Illinois to the United States Senate in 1926, but the Senate never allowed him to take his seat.He first ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S....
- 1921-1926 - James M. SlatteryJames M. SlatteryJames Michael Slattery was a United States Senator from Illinois.Born in Chicago, he attended parochial schools and St. Ignatius College . He was employed as a secretary with the building departments of the city of Chicago in 1905, and graduated from Illinois College of Law at Chicago in 1908...
- 1936-1939 - Charles E. FreemanCharles E. FreemanCharles E. Freeman is an American attorney and first district justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. He was elected to his position on the court on November 6, 1990, becoming its first African-American justice. He served as chief justice from May 12, 1997 to January 1, 2000...
- 1973-1976 - Charles P. KocorasCharles Petros KocorasCharles Petros Kocoras is a United States federal judge.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kocoras received a B.S. from De Paul University in 1961 and a J.D. from De Paul University College of Law in 1969. He was an Illinois Army National Guard from 1961 to 1967. He was in private practice in Chicago,...
- 1977-1979 - Charles E. BoxCharles BoxCharles Box was elected mayor of Rockford, Illinois, USA in 1989. A Democrat, Box was the first African-American Mayor elected in Rockford. Box was elected to three terms as mayor before choosing not to run in 2001. In 2006, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Box as head of the Illinois...
- 2006-2010 - Manuel FloresManuel FloresManuel "Manny" Flores is the Director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Banking . A member of the Democratic Party, Flores was elected to the Chicago City Council in 2003...
- 2010-2011 - Douglas P. ScottDouglas P. ScottDoug Scott served one term from 2001-2005 as mayor of Rockford, Illinois, United States, after serving from 1995-2001 as a member of the Illinois General Assembly. He was elected mayor after Charles Box declined to seek a fourth term. A Democrat, Scott was appointed to head the Illinois...
- 2011 to present