Shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill aiming to improve ethics standards for elected officials after it was filed just hours earlier.
By Raymon Troncoso
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD Republicans on Wednesday tried to tie an indictment of a longtime lieutenant of former House Speaker Michael Madigan to the Democrats’ effort to redraw legislative district lines ahead of the General Assembly’s May 31 adjournment.
The latest indictment came Wednesday with just six days remaining in the legislative session, as former Madigan chief of staff Tim Mapes faced charges of lying to a grand jury about his knowledge of Madigan’s involvement with a prominent lobbyist who has also been indicted. Madigan has not been charged.
Republicans on a redistricting committee used the indictment as a new line of attack, complementing their claims that Democrats are trying to forge ahead with inadequate population data and a complete lack of transparency as to how the maps were drawn.
/ A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduce an ethics package Monday at the Illinois State Capitol. It passed the House on Monday night, then the Senate after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill aiming to improve ethics standards for elected officials after it was filed just hours earlier.
An amendment to Senate Bill 539, introduced by Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, passed with bipartisan approval despite House Republicans’ concerns that it was watered down.
“This legislation takes the first steps in addressing some of the most egregious scandals in our state s history,” Gillespie said in a news conference Monday night. “While it won t end corruption overnight, it closes many of the loopholes that have allowed bad actors to game the system for decades.”
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By Tim Kirsininkas & Capitol News Illinois
• 5 hours ago
Shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill aiming to improve ethics standards for elected officials after it was filed just hours earlier.
An amendment to Senate Bill 539, introduced by Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, passed with bipartisan approval despite House Republicans’ concerns that it was watered down.
“This legislation takes the first steps in addressing some of the most egregious scandals in our state s history,” Gillespie said in a news conference Monday night. “While it won t end corruption overnight, it closes many of the loopholes that have allowed bad actors to game the system for decades.”