Bill aims to pay Illinois lawmakers only for days they actually work

By Ben Szalinski

11/15/2019

Lawmakers can currently work one day to qualify for a whole month’s pay. A bill to change that has been stuck in committee since the spring.

TAGS: COLA, house rules, Illinois General Assembly, lawmaker pay, Luis Arroyo, mike murphy, raises, rules committee, Sarah Jimenez, Springfield

Former Chicago official had side job with red-light camera company

By Ben Szalinski

11/15/2019

The former deputy aviation commissioner had an undisclosed position as a sales representative for SafeSpeed LLC. The red-light camera vendor keeps emerging in federal probes.

TAGS: board of ethics, Chicago, Chicago Board of Ethics, chicago city hall, Chicago Department of Aviation, Cook County, cook county commissioner, department of aviation, federal investigation, IDOT: Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois General Assembly, investigation, Jim Edgar, Martin Sandoval, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Springfield

Senate President John Cullerton announces retirement amid sweeping Illinois corruption probe

By Austin Berg

11/14/2019

Cullerton and House Speaker Mike Madigan have held office in the Illinois General Assembly for nearly 90 years combined.

TAGS: corruption, FBI, federal, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois Senate, investigation, John Cullerton, leader, majority, pension spiking, pensions, senate president, Springfield

1,179 bills became law last session – just 5% had a price tag

By Joe Barnas

02/19/2019

Fiscal notes serve as price tags on bills in the General Assembly. Lawmakers’ habit of omitting them limits their ability to make well-informed decisions.

TAGS: balanced budget requirement, budget, COGFA: Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, Dale Righter, Fiscal Notes, Illinois General Assembly, progressive income tax, taxes

Proposed amendment would place term limits on top Illinois lawmakers

By Vincent Caruso

01/31/2019

A lawmaker would only be allowed to serve in the powerful role of Illinois House speaker for a maximum of eight years under a proposed constitutional amendment recently introduced in the General Assembly.

TAGS: Illinois General Assembly, Mike Madigan, term limits, Tim Butler

Illinois House passes rules giving Madigan extraordinary power – again

By Joe Tabor

01/29/2019

On Jan. 29 the Illinois House of Representatives voted on new House Rules, but none of the new rules addressed the unparalleled power the Speaker of the House is given over the legislative process.

TAGS: house rules, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois House of Representatives, Mike Madigan, rules

Taxpayer victory: Illinois House cuts committee bloat

By Austin Berg

01/29/2019

A glut of $10,000-a-head committee chair positions has been a key tool for House Speaker Mike Madigan to maintain power over members.

TAGS: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois House of Representatives, Mike Madigan

Madigan re-elected to 18th term as Illinois House Speaker

By Austin Berg

01/09/2019

The longtime speaker has held the gavel for 34 of the past 36 years, and maintains procedural powers unheard of in other states.

TAGS: house rules, House Speaker, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois House of Representatives, Mike Madigan

Lame-duck House passes state government pay hikes

By Joe Kaiser

01/08/2019

In the final hours of the 100th General Assembly, some state lawmakers are pushing to send a bill to incoming Gov. J.B. Pritzker that would give pay raises to state department heads.

TAGS: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois House of Representatives, pensions, state worker pay

Madigan poised to seize speakership yet again

By Austin Berg

01/08/2019

After sweeping victories for Illinois Democrats in November, Mike Madigan is all but assured an 18th term as speaker of the House of Representatives when new members are sworn in Jan. 9. Madigan has already broken the record for longest-serving state legislative speaker in U.S. history.

TAGS: Anne Stava-Murray, house rules, House Speaker, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois House of Representatives, Mike Madigan

2019 Illinois corruption tracker

Illinois is the second-most corrupt state in the nation, according to the University of Illinois-Chicago. And corruption costs the state economy at least $550 million per year. But the size and scope of government corruption is nothing new for Illinoisans. What is new? Powerful Illinois lawmakers, Chicago aldermen, local mayors and business interests are involved...

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2019 Illinois corruption tracker

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Al Lashbrook

Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students