CHICAGO – Comptroller Dan Hynes met Monday with social service providers who serve disadvantaged clients in the Chicago area to discuss the state's inability to reimburse vendors in a timely fashion.

At the meeting, co-sponsored by Rev. Walter Turner, pastor of New Spiritual Light Missionary Baptist Church, and held at the Masonic Temple on E. 42nd St. in Chicago, the Comptroller discussed the process his office uses when making payments, gave a brief explanation of the current bill payment backlog and listened to concerns expressed by local vendors.

"The goal of these meetings is twofold," said Hynes. "It's for you as vendors to better understand how our office attempts to manage the state's checkbook in a time when there are far more bills than there is money to pay them. And it's for me as Comptroller to better understand the struggles you face every day."

Hynes also informed the vendors that a special hotline has been set up to give vendors information about the status of payments owed to them, and to assist vendors in identifying issues that are impacting the timely processing of those payments. The vendor hotline (1-866-887-5781) is fully staffed by trained IOC personnel and operates during regular office hours.

"While the hotline will offer no guarantee of expedited payment, it will provide vendors with a detailed description of the process, the status of their reimbursements, and what, if any, further steps might be available to them," Hynes said. "Put simply, our office is providing a compassionate human voice who can help vendors navigate the reimbursement process."

Rev. Dr. Al Sampson, Senior Pastor of Fernwood United Methodist Church, commended Hynes for hosting Monday's meeting. "This is just the latest example of Dan Hynes reaching out to communities and grass roots organizations in pro-active attempts to make government work for people. He understands that there is real pain out here and he is trying to do something about it."

The meeting was the second in a series that Hynes pledged to conduct after meeting in December with a group of concerned ministers who told him the state's fiscal crisis was negatively affecting church programming, vendors and members of their congregations.