Peoria Standard

Illinois House Republicans are renewing their call for much-needed ethics reforms in light of the ongoing corruption scandal involving Democrats in the state. The list of convictions continues to grow, and yet there is a deafening silence from the Democrat side of the aisle.

In 2023 alone, federal prosecutors in Chicago secured several convictions related to corruption:

- Four former Commonwealth Edison employees were convicted on charges of conspiring to bribe former House Speaker Mike Madigan.

- Former Madigan Chief of Staff Tim Mapes was convicted of lying to a grand jury to obstruct the bribery investigation into Madigan.

- Chicago businessman James T. Weiss was convicted of bribing two Democratic state lawmakers, wire and mail fraud, and lying to the FBI.

- Former Chicago Democratic Alderman Edward Burke was convicted of racketeering, bribery, and attempted extortion after a historic corruption trial.

In addition, Mike Madigan himself, the longest-serving state House speaker in modern U.S. history, was indicted on federal racketeering and bribery charges in 2022. His trial has been pushed back to October 2024.

Republican Representative Patrick Windhorst expressed his frustration with the lack of action from House Democrats to address the culture of corruption in Illinois. He stated, "House Democrats have expressed no willingness so far to change the culture of corruption in Illinois."

Republican Representative Ryan Spain is taking action to root out and punish corrupt politicians. He has sponsored legislation to give the Inspector General's Office subpoena power without having to seek legislative permission. Spain has also co-sponsored bills to suspend pension benefits for indicted officeholders and to prohibit indicted politicians from using campaign funds for legal defense.

Meanwhile, House Republicans have filed several ethics proposals to address corruption and create stronger ethics reforms. These proposals include prohibiting elected officials from using campaign donations to pay for criminal defense, suspending benefit or annuity payments to members charged with a felony, implementing a three-year revolving door ban on lobbying, and requiring timely reports from the Executive and Legislative Ethics Commissions.

Representative Tony McCombie emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "Democrats' complacency with the status quo continues to cheat and take advantage of Illinois families." She highlighted the need for bipartisan discussions to close loopholes and enhance penalties for those who violate the public's trust.

Illinois has been ranked as the second-most corrupt state in the nation, and it is clear that stronger ethics laws and reforms are urgently needed. House Republicans are committed to fighting against corruption and restoring the public's faith in their government.