In this issue:
- Madigan guilty on corruption charges
- Justice Department sues Illinois over sanctuary state policies
- Share your thoughts with the General Assembly
- State of the State address coming up next week
Madigan guilty on corruption charges
A federal jury in Chicago has found former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan guilty of corruption charges.
Madigan was the most powerful politician in Illinois until his fall in 2021. For 35 years Madigan was Speaker of the House, in addition to his roles as a Chicago ward boss and state Democratic Party chairman. He ruled Springfield with an iron fist, deciding which legislation would pass and which would never see the light of day. At his trial, federal prosecutors spent weeks producing evidence of Madigan’s cozy relationship with lobbyists and special interests who tried to curry his favor and who fed his quest for ever more power.
For years House Republicans have been introducing ethics reforms to clean up Springfield. Madigan blocked them every year, and unfortunately that trend has continued even with him out of office. There should be no more delays in passing real, meaningful ethics reform and cleaning up the mess in state government.
Justice Department sues Illinois over sanctuary state policies
The U. S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of Illinois and some Chicago-area local governments over the state’s sanctuary state policies which severely restrict state and local government cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
At the center of the controversy is an Illinois law called the TRUST Act. This law prevents Illinois law enforcement from assisting federal immigration enforcement operations. The Justice Department alleges that the Illinois law violates the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution which gives federal laws priority over state laws that might be in conflict. The federal government seeks to apprehend those in the country illegally if they are picked up by state or local law enforcement for crimes, rather than seeing them released back out into the public.
House Republicans posed a series of questions to the Pritzker administration about the effects of the TRUST Act. How many non-citizens have faced criminal charges and been released? How many incarcerated individuals in Illinois are currently being sought by federal immigration officials? How much is this policy costing Illinois taxpayers?
I am a co-sponsor of House Bill 1317, which would repeal the TRUST Act.
Share your thoughts with the General Assembly
Last Friday was the deadline to have bills filed in time to have them considered in this year’s spring session. Nearly 4000 bills were filed, and now we will begin the process of sorting through them in committee hearings over the next five weeks.
Did you know that you can play a part in the review of these bills?
If there is a piece of legislation that you feel strongly about, the House of Representatives has a procedure for you to get your thoughts on the official record of the bill. Once a bill is assigned to a committee for a hearing, you can go to https://repbunting.com/how-to-file-a-witness-slip/ and learn the steps to file a witness slip on any bill currently before the Illinois General Assembly. This is a great (and easy) way for Illinoisans to get their thoughts and opinions before the legislators who will be considering important legislation this spring.
If the bill has not yet been assigned for a hearing, you can check back later and submit a witness slip at that time.
I also encourage you to reach out to me directly by going to https://repbunting.com/contact/ to get in touch with me.
State of the State address coming up next week
On Wednesday Governor Pritzker will appear before a joint session of the House and Senate to deliver his sixth State of the State address. The Governor will also unveil his state budget proposal for the fiscal year which begins on July 1.
Illinois is facing a number of significant challenges this year. The state is projected to have a $3.2 billion budget deficit. Unlike the federal government, our state Constitution requires that the budget be balanced each year, so this issue will have to be addressed. The gap should not be closed with more tax increases.
The fiscal challenge was made even greater by a report from the Department of Healthcare and Family Services that the programs that provide health care for undocumented immigrant adults in Illinois will cost $558 million in the current fiscal year. These costs are in addition to budget items covering housing, social work, counseling and education for migrants and undocumented immigrants.
You can watch the Governor’s speech live on Wednesday at noon by clicking here.
Eagle Scout court of honor
For 115 years, Boy Scouts have been shaping the leaders of tomorrow. A few days ago, I was invited to an Eagle Scout Court of Honor to celebrate Will Mussman.
Only 6% of scouts achieve this prestigious award through their hard work, leadership, and service to their communities. I am very proud of Will and his accomplishments, and I know he has a VERY bright future ahead.
Our current bill backlog
When a vendor provides the state with goods and services, they submit the bill to the Illinois Comptroller for payment. The Comptroller processes the paperwork and pays the bill when funds are available in the state’s checking account. Currently the total amount of unpaid bills is $2,018,575,300. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $1.3 billion in bills awaiting payment. This only includes bills submitted to the Comptroller for payment, not unfunded debts like the state’s pension liability, which is well over $100 billion.
Illinois headlines
Where’s my refund? How to check the status of your IRS, Illinois tax return
Judge strikes down part of Illinois FOID law as unconstitutional
Did you receive a text saying you owed money to your Illinois I-PASS account? It’s a scam