(The Center Square) – Amid continuing questions about House Speaker Michael Madigan’s role in the ComEd patronage and bribery scandal, some Illinois statehouse Democrats have put forward nine measures they said will change a toxic culture at the statehouse.
A group of House and Senate Democrats on Thursday laid out nine proposals they said are needed to change the culture in Springfield.
The measures include not allowing legislators to be lobbyists, prohibiting a revolving door of legislators becoming lobbyists, better definition of lobbyists, more financial disclosures, having a censure process, making the legislative inspector general more independent, expanding staffers of the General Assembly to be covered by the Human Rights Act, establishing term limits for legislative leaders and allowing for the temporary removal of leaders from certain legislative leadership positions if they are indicted for a crime.
State Sen. Iris Martinez, D-Chicago, said the reforms need to be enacted sooner rather than later.
“I am calling on the General Assembly to refuse to act on any legislation of consequence to benefit any private company or any utilities until these reforms have been adopted,” she said.
State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said the goal wasn’t to overshadow work by the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform, which was created after a series of raids and federal corruption probes involving lobbyists and state and local elected officials in 2019.
“We know that our colleagues are working hard and they have a tough task to put together a report and we appreciate their work and we have shared these proposals with them,” Manar said.
He said he hoped the proposals could be voted on during the veto session, which is after the November election.
Democratic leaders on the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform said they received the recommendations and will consider them in the commission’s final report.
Republican members of that commission said the group, which missed its deadline to file a report months ago, hasn’t met since March 5. They said the Democrats need to demand a special session as they’ve demanded.
“Today’s press conference was completely out of touch with the reality on the ground,” said state Rep. Grant Wehrli, R-Naperville. “Every House member that took part in today’s press conference voted to put Mike Madigan in the Speaker’s chair and voted to accept his Rules of his House.”
“While I applaud those who went on the record again today saying the Speaker should resign, this is merely political theater and window dressing,” Wehrli said. “Until these members demand that the Governor call a special session to address ethics legislation and take real steps to remove Mike Madigan as Speaker, this is all just political cover.”
