In this issue:
- Madigan sentenced to seven and a half years in prison
- Lawsuit challenges unconstitutional tactic used to ram bill through
- Budget includes unprecedented spending power for Governor
- Meta agreement will keep Illinois nuclear plant open
Madigan sentenced to seven and a half years in prison
Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison following his corruption conviction earlier this year. He will also have to pay a $2.5 million fine.
Madigan was found guilty of ten federal felony counts in February. Adding insult to injury, U.S. District Court Judge John Robert Blakey ruled that the former Speaker lied repeatedly on the witness stand when he testified.
In a statement following the conviction, the assistant U.S. Attorney said in part that Madigan, “had every opportunity to set the standard for honest government. But instead…he fit right into the mold of yet another corrupt leader in Illinois.”
Madigan was once the most powerful politician in Illinois, ruling the House for 36 years, chairing the state Democratic party and serving as a ward boss in Chicago. Nothing got done in state government without Madigan’s approval. In March 2022 he was indicted on racketeering and bribery charges.
Illinois has seen too many governors, legislators, lobbyists and local officials convicted of corruption over the last few years. Sadly, none of these convictions has been enough to motivate the Democrats who run Springfield to pass real, meaningful ethics reform. This latest high-profile conviction and sentencing must spur some action in the fall veto session or when we return to Springfield in January.
Lawsuit challenges unconstitutional tactic used to ram bill through
On Wednesday, members of the Illinois House and Senate Republican caucuses joined together to call on Gov. Pritzker to veto Senate Bill 328, legislation that would serve only to enrich trial lawyers at the expense of jobs and economic growth. They also filed a lawsuit in Sangamon County court to enforce the Illinois Constitution’s Three Readings Rule, due to the blatant unconstitutional manner the Democratic Majority rammed the special interest proposal through the General Assembly after midnight on the last day of session.
Read the full story here.
Budget includes unprecedented spending power for Governor
The final draft of the record-setting $55 billion state budget was filed just a few hours before it was voted on and passed in the Illinois House. I voted No.
Now that legislators have finally had some time to read it, we are starting to come to terms with some of what was hidden within its 3000+ pages.
Here’s one example: the budget contains a $100 million slush fund for Governor Pritzker to use “just in case” the federal government withholds funding from other programs. The governor will be empowered to declare a “state of emergency” and sweep away $100 million from other state funds at his sole discretion. This is unprecedented spending power given to a Governor who has already shown his willingness to abuse executive authority.
Meta agreement will keep Illinois nuclear plant open
Meta Platforms has reached an agreement with Constellation Energy to keep its nuclear plant in Clinton, Illinois, operating for another 20 years. The deal was the tech company’s first such agreement with a nuclear power plant.
Demand for power throughout the United States has been on the rise with the introduction of new Artificial Intelligence and data centers, including here in Illinois. The Constellation facility in Clinton, located about 25 miles south of Bloomington, would prevent the threatened 2027 closure of the plant. The plant’s future was in doubt because of the expiring of an Illinois zero emissions credit program for generators of power which are virtually free of carbon emissions.
The agreement and the extension of the plant’s life is contingent upon approval by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Fishing derby next weekend
Next Saturday, June 28, I am joining Senator Chris Balkema to host a FREE fishing derby for local kids. All kids ages 12 and under are welcome.
We will be at the Heidecke Lake fishing bank area, located at 6350 E. Collins Road in Morris from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Registration starts at 9, with the Illinois Conservation Police conducting a water safety presentation at 9:10. Fishing will start at 9:30, with kids eligible to win prizes for the biggest fish, the most fish caught as well as a sportsman award.
This is a great opportunity to introduce kids to the joy of fishing and learn a thing or two about safety on the water. We will have a free rod/reel combo for the first 50 kids to arrive. Thanks to Grundy County Land Use, the Illinois Conservation Police and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
I hope to see you there!
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 $1,811,242,129. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $1.1 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.
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