Peoria Standard

Today, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan received a sentence of 7.5 years in prison, along with 3 years of probation and a $2.5 million fine for his conviction on bribery and other corruption charges. Deputy House Minority Leader Ryan Spain (R-Peoria), who is the only remaining member of the Illinois House to have filed the 2020 Special Investigating Committee Petition concerning Madigan's connections to ComEd, issued a statement in response.

Spain stated, "No amount of time behind bars can pay back the people of Illinois for the corruption that Mike Madigan poisoned our statehouse with over his decades in power, but he is finally going where he belongs." He expressed hope that this serves as a lesson for Illinois' Democrat leaders to address corruption within the state's government. "The people of Illinois should not have to rely on federal prosecutors to clean up our mess. The time for honest, transparent government in the state of Illinois is now!"

Spain has consistently advocated for ethics reform within the General Assembly and has introduced multiple pieces of legislation each session aimed at strengthening Illinois' anti-corruption laws. Since the 2020 Special Investigating Committee, Spain and other House Republicans have called for reforms to improve state governance ethics.

During this period, as chairman of the investigating committee, now-Speaker Chris Welch halted the investigation and dismissed testimony implicating Madigan in criminal activities. Welch labeled the committee proceedings as a “sham” and “political show trial.” In light of Madigan's conviction and sentencing, Spain suggests that Welch’s actions were more about protecting his former mentor than pursuing justice.