SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois Senate committee approved the nomination of three University of Illinois trustees and several agency heads, but postponed acting on the appointment of a former state representative to an $86,000 position on the state Prisoner Review Board.

Former state Rep. Careen Gordon, a Democrat, sat in the front row of the committee hearing room, but her nomination was never called and apparently will be put off at least a week.

Senate Republicans are prepared to vote down Gordon's appointment, according to Sen. Dale Righter, R-Charleston. They oppose Gordon's nomination because after losing her race for re-election last fall, she returned to Springfield and voted for an income tax increase after telling constituents she opposed it.

Days later, she was nominated for the Prisoner Review Board position by Gov. Pat Quinn, who had pushed for the tax increase.

Meanwhile, the nominations of Ricardo Estrada and Patricia Holmes to the UI Board of Trustees, plus the reappointment of Karen Hasara, were approved without any debate.

And several agency heads, including Michelle Saddler as secretary of the Department of Human Services, Julie Hamos as director of Healthcare and Human Services and Marc Miller as director of the Department of Natural Resouces, were approved by the Senate Executive Appointments Committee.

Miller was asked by Righter how he would cut 10 percent from his agency budget and responded, "We'd have to look at what we're required to do and try to reduce that because I think we're at the point where we can't go any further."

Righter invited Miller to visit with him about eliminating legislatively mandated programs, and then spoke to him about a more parochial matter.

"I enjoy the occasional calls I get from your mom (who lives in Mattoon)," Righter told Miller. "You should know that, regardless of the issue that she is raising, she always manages to remind me what a great job you're doing."

"Well, God bless our mothers," Miller responded.