SPRINGFIELD - An obscure but powerfully influential state panel that regulates hospitals in Illinois is coming under scrutiny just two years after Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he had fixed its problems.

Senate Republicans announced Thursday they were forming a special task force to probe the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, which has been accused of playing politics with the construction and expansion of hospitals across the state.

The GOP task force members include state Sens. Bill Brady of Bloomington, Brad Burzynski of Clare and Dale Righter of Mattoon and Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson of Greenville.

The call for public hearings comes after Blagojevich revamped the board in 2004 after a federal investigation raised questions about the approval of a hospital building project in Crystal Lake.

In recent weeks, media reports have linked some of the board's new members, who were appointed by Blagojevich, with one of the governor's top fund-raisers.

"Recent reports revealing ties between Gov. Blagojevich and political appointees on the board - ties that are far more extensive than once suggested - really strengthen the need for some kind of oversight," Watson said in a prepared statement.

Brady said the hearings could determine whether lawmakers need to take legislative action when the General Assembly reconvenes in November.