President Bill Perry believes the university should have as much information as possible when it comes to tracking legislation in Springfield.

He said, on a consistent basis, many bills affecting higher education and the operations of state agencies flood the legislature, which makes it difficult for the university to stay informed with the different bills.

“We can’t be over there all the time,” Perry said.

Because of this influx of legislation, Eastern has a $48,000 annual contract with Governmental Affairs Specialist, Inc., a lobbying firm, of which Loretta Durbin, wife of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, is a principal partner.

The firm is based in Springfield. Perry said the firm presents issues pertaining to Eastern to legislative staff members and lawmakers.

He said at the beginning of each legislative session Eastern gives the firm an agenda of important legislative items.

Currently, the firm is lobbying for Eastern’s amendment to the Public University Energy Conservation Act.

That bill, which is sponsored by Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, would allow Eastern to construct the Renewable Energy Center without the use of the Illinois Capital Development Board.

With the university enduring tight financial times, Perry said paying the lobbying firm is a necessity, while at campus, certain faculty and staff positions are not being filled because of scarce state appropriations.

He said paying a staff member to lobby in Springfield would be more costly because of living and housing costs.

“If we are going to continue to serve the students, faculty and staff, we need to be as effective as we can in terms of our dealings with the General Assembly,” Perry said. “We found this to be an efficient and cost-effective way to do that. I don’t see any particular reason to change.”

Aside from lobbying specific bills, the firm promotes Eastern’s mission and communicates with legislators on the House and Senate higher education appropriations committees.

The firm also coordinates with campus officials about institutional positions in response to legislative action.

The firm can set up meetings for Eastern’s administration with lawmakers, legislative staff members and the staff members of the governor, Perry said.

“We try to work through (Jill Nilsen) for communications with them and Rep. (Chapin) Rose and Sen. Righter,” he said. “We want to make sure we have a coherent message.”

Nilsen, vice president for external relations, said when the Board of Trustees was created by the legislature in 1995, Eastern hired a staff member to serve as a legislative liaison in Springfield.

When the staff member left in December 1997, the university asked Government Affairs Specialist to assume the member’s job responsibilities for a semester, she added.

“GASI worked so well the university and were so thorough in their approach to the legislative process, that we extended the contract,” Nilsen said.

Stephen Di Benedetto can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].