To address the continuing threat of terrorism and to work with the federal Department of Homeland Security (created in 2002 following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001), homeland security in Illinois in 2003 operated under the authority of the governor; a new position, homeland security director, was created to coordinate homeland security activities in the state.
Officials responsible to the governor of Illinois and the members of Congress, as well as to the mayor of Chicago, actively provide ombudsman service, although there is no state office by that name. Illinois has a board of ethics, but the US attorney's office in Chicago has far more potent weapons at its disposal: many top political leaders were indicted and convicted in the 1970s, including federal judge and former Governor Otto Kerner and, in 1980, Attorney General William Scott. The Office of the Inspector General is assigned with the task of preventing, detecting, and eliminating fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, and mismanagement in the programs administered by the Illinois Department of Public Aid.
Educational services provided by the Illinois Office of Education include teacher certification and placement, curriculum development, educational assessment and evaluation, and programs for the disadvantaged, gifted, handicapped, and ethnic and racial minorities. The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board oversee postsecondary education. The Department of Transportation handles highways, traffic safety, and airports.
Among state agencies offering health and welfare services are the Department of Children and Family Services, which focuses on foster care, the deaf, the blind, and the handicapped; and the Department of Public Aid, which supervises Medicaid, food stamps, and general welfare programs. The Illinois Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities operates homes and outpatient centers for the retarded and the mentally ill. Established in 1973, the Department on Aging provides nutritional and field services. The Board of Vocational Rehabilitation operates programs to retrain the disabled, while the Department of Veterans' Affairs administers bonus and scholarship programs and maintains four veterans' homes with nursing facilities, including one with an Alzheimer's Unit, and at least three with 300 or more beds.
State responsibility for public protection is divided among several agencies: the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Corrections (prisons and parole), Department of Law Enforcement (including the State Police and Bureau of Investigation), Dangerous Drugs Commission, and Military and Naval Department. Resource protection is supervised by the Department of Natural Resources, which oversees fish hatcheries, state parks, nature reserves, game preserves, and forest fire protection. The Department of Mines and Minerals handles mine safety and land reclamation programs. The Department of Labor mediates disputes and handles unemployment compensation. The Department of Human Rights, founded in 1980, seeks to ensure equal employment, housing, and credit opportunities.