(The Center Square) – The lack of ethics reforms at the Illinois Statehouse signals to the House minority leader Madigan’s playbook continues.
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, could learn his fate Friday at his final sentencing hearing. He faces 12.5 years and $2.5 million in fines after being convicted on 10 counts of corruption.
With Madigan’s trial playing out during legislative session this spring, legislators combined various reforms into a package, but it didn’t advance. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, said Republicans have reforms ready to go.
“This isn’t that difficult,” McCombie told The Center Square. “And to sit there and ignore it and have the … self picked speaker in the House now by Madigan, that’s why you have seen no changes. It’s the exact same playbook. It’s just a different person in the chair.”
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, became speaker in 2021, after Madigan served for all but two years since 1983.
One ethics issue the package that didn’t advance this spring would have cleared up some of the campaign finance issues dogging Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. The Chicago Tribune reports Harmon is facing $9.8 million in penalties for allegedly breaking Illinois election law with campaign contributions.
After session wrapped up earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked about the lack of ethics reforms. He said they work to clean up things like ethics in the energy industry, but a standalone ethics package didn’t come together.
“We had a very busy session,” Pritzker said. “There were, in fact, discussions with, you know, with the chair of the committee in the House anyway, about his ideas for this.”
McCombie said Republicans have ideas already filed in legislation and it shouldn’t be that hard.
“[State Reps.] Patrick Windhorst, Ryan Spain, we have several members with ethics bills,” McCombie said. “They just need to take them, put them in a, if they want to do an omnibus bill … we already have the language for them.”
Legislators are off for the summer. The fall veto schedule posted this week has both the House and Senate returning for six days in October.
Jim Talamonti contributed to this story.
