Madigan says he’ll take responsibility on ethics
Friday, February 6th, 2009Speaker of House on defensive over new committee
SPRINGFIELD, IL — Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan vowed Thursday to take the credit or blame on attempts to bolster ethics laws this year, even as House Republicans charged he’s placing partisan politics above the need to clean up state government.
Madigan found himself on the defensive as he joined Senate President John Cullerton, a fellow Chicago Democrat, in winning approval of a House-Senate committee to work on state government reforms after former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment and ouster.
House GOP leaders questioned how sincere Madigan is about reform when the new committee has 10 Democrats and six Republicans. “While all the world is watching today, it’s business as usual, party politics,” said Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Greenville).
Madigan defended the partisan breakdown of the committee, which the Senate approved.
Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested on federal corruption charges Dec. 9. Former Republican Gov. George Ryan sits in a federal prison for corruption.
Madigan’s daughter, Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, was in Chicago telling Gov. Pat Quinn’s new ethics commission that the Blagojevich administration acted illegally by routinely denying requests for records that state law mandates should be open for review.
Led by Patrick Collins, a former prosecutor who helped send Ryan to prison, the commission said its recommendations will include urging Quinn to overturn a directive from Blagojevich instructing department heads not to comply with information requests.
Source: The Chicago Tribune
Madigan says he’ll take responsibility on ethics
Friday, February 6th, 2009Speaker of House on defensive over new committee
SPRINGFIELD, IL — Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan vowed Thursday to take the credit or blame on attempts to bolster ethics laws this year, even as House Republicans charged he’s placing partisan politics above the need to clean up state government.
Madigan found himself on the defensive as he joined Senate President John Cullerton, a fellow Chicago Democrat, in winning approval of a House-Senate committee to work on state government reforms after former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment and ouster.
House GOP leaders questioned how sincere Madigan is about reform when the new committee has 10 Democrats and six Republicans. “While all the world is watching today, it’s business as usual, party politics,” said Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Greenville).
Madigan defended the partisan breakdown of the committee, which the Senate approved.
Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested on federal corruption charges Dec. 9. Former Republican Gov. George Ryan sits in a federal prison for corruption.
Madigan’s daughter, Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, was in Chicago telling Gov. Pat Quinn’s new ethics commission that the Blagojevich administration acted illegally by routinely denying requests for records that state law mandates should be open for review.
Led by Patrick Collins, a former prosecutor who helped send Ryan to prison, the commission said its recommendations will include urging Quinn to overturn a directive from Blagojevich instructing department heads not to comply with information requests.
Source: The Chicago Tribune
House Moves Quickly To Clean Up Government Mess
Thursday, February 5th, 2009ILLINOIS -State lawmakers are moving quickly to address two troubles with Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration that led to his ouster last week.
The House voted 117-0 today for both Senate Joint Resolution 1 and House Bill 398.
The resolution sets up a 16-member commission led by House and Senate Democrats to look at a wide range of ethics reforms after the corruption problems that surrounded Blagojevich, who was impeached and removed from office last week.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said the committee will have several meetings at the Capitol over the next few weeks to consider changes to state law and take input from anyone with ideas for how to clean up government. The goal would be to have legislation approved by the end of May, if not sooner, he said.
“For my part, state government ought to be reformed,” Madigan said. “All Illinoisans are welcome to come forward and tell us how we should change the law.”
Republicans said the idea was a noble one but complained Republicans only had six members, with Democrats at 10. They supported the idea anyway.
“Both parties have had their problems. Both parties need to be a complete, equal partner in finding the solution,” said Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville.
The resolution was approved by the Senate yesterday, so the committee is now officially created.
The other measure reaffirms the power of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules to have final say on rules proposed by state agencies to implement programs and services.
JCAR and the Blagojevich administration sparred over a health care expansion that the administration went ahead with, even though lawmakers tried to block it. That became part of the charges laid out in Blagojevich’s impeachment as an abuse of power.
Lawmakers say emphasizing JCAR’s authority in state law should clear up any doubt about the legislature’s sole power to make laws.
“This is one of the most important bills that we’ll deal with in this session. This deals with the essence of the legislative branch,” said Rep. Gary Hannig, D-Litchfield.
The proposal now heads to the Senate.
Source: The State Journal Register - Oldest Newspaper in Illinois
Burris: ‘I knew my appointment was legal’
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009WASHINGTON (CNN) — Illinois Senate-designate Roland Burris said Tuesday that he knew all along that his appointment was legal, despite impeachment proceedings against the man who appointed him.
“My whole purpose in life, as I see it, is to be a public servant,” Burris said Tuesday on CNN’s “American Morning.”
Burris said Monday he is “truly humbled and honored” to learn he will be seated in the Senate later this week.
Earlier that day Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Illinois senior senator and Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin said the Senate would accept Burris’ credentials.
“The Secretary of the Senate has determined that the new credentials presented today on behalf of Mr. Burris now satisfy Senate rules and validate his appointment to the vacant Illinois Senate seat,” the two said in a statement. “In addition, as we requested, Mr. Burris has provided sworn testimony before the Illinois House Committee on Impeachment regarding the circumstances of his appointment.”
Burris publicly thanked Reid and Durbin during a news conference.
“It will be my honor to both serve with them and learn from them,” he said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve, and I ask for your support and prayers.”
On Tuesday, Burris said his qualifications made the difference.
“I think the turning point came when people looked at my credentials and saw my desire to serve,” he said.
“I knew as the former attorney general of my state that my appointment was legal.”
Burris also took time to praise Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who opposed seating Burris and did not sign his appointment certificate, although his office stamped it Friday to show it had been received.
“He [White] is owed a debt of gratitude. He also happened to be someone’s whose autograph I cherish,” Burris said. “[He's] an honorable man.”
In the joint statement, Reid and Durbin said Burris would “be accorded all the rights and privileges of a Senator-elect,” adding that “barring objections from Senate Republicans, we expect Senator-designee Burris to be sworn in and formally seated later this week. We are working with him and the office of the Vice President to determine the date and time of the swearing-in.”
A spokesman for President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team said Obama knows Burris and has a “high regard for him.”
“He looks forward to working with Sen. Burris and the rest of the United States Senate to rebuild our economy and meet the great challenges of our time,” Dan Pfeiffer said.
Some Senate Democrats, however, said Burris should not be seated because he was appointed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who faces corruption charges and who is accused of scheming to sell the seat.
The Illinois House voted Friday to impeach Blagojevich, who has denied any wrongdoing.
Burris said Tuesday that it’s too soon to say whether he will run for election to the Senate in 2010.
Source: CNN
Opposition to seating Burris weakening
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
WASHINGTON — Former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris is closer to taking President-elect Barack Obama’s seat in the Senate, say knowledgeable officials in both parties, despite Democratic leaders’ vows to reject any appointee of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
After being rejected Tuesday when he tried to join the class of incoming freshmen senators, Burris is finding new support on Capitol Hill as Democratic leaders scramble for a way to defuse the standoff with growing racial, political and legal complications.
The likelihood that Burris, a Democrat, eventually will prevail and become the Senate’s only black member after Obama’s resignation from the seat, increased Tuesday evening when a key chairwoman got behind him, cracking what had been united public front by Senate Democrats against a Blagojevich appointee.
Burris was scheduled to meet with the Senate’s top two Democrats — Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and assistant leader Dick Durbin of Illinois — on Wednesday, a day after his paperwork was rejected at the opening of the 111th Congress.
Senate officials in both parties, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for Senate members, said there is a growing expectation on Capitol Hill that the saga will end with Burris being seated.
Blagojevich shocked Democratic leaders by appointing Burris to finish the final two years of Obama’s six-year term in the Senate just three weeks after the governor was arrested on corruption charges in what federal prosecutors said was a scheme to sell or trade Obama’s vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder, Blagojevich denies the accusations and has yet to be indicted. There has been no indication that Burris was involved in the alleged scheme, and he has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Democrats have repeatedly said the issue is Blagojevich, not Burris’ qualifications.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Rules Committee, told reporters Tuesday evening that Burris should be seated.
“If you don’t seat Mr. Burris, it has ramifications for gubernatorial appointments all over America,” the California Democrat said. “Mr. Burris is a senior, experienced politician. He has been attorney general, he has been controller, and he is very well-respected. I am hopeful that this will be settled.”
In a piece of political theater, Burris, 71, tried and failed Tuesday to take Obama’s seat. He marched into the Capitol, declaring himself “the junior senator from the state of Illinois,” and asked Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson to accept a certification of his appointment signed by Blagojevich. Erickson refused, saying it lacked Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White’s signature and the state seal.
White has refused to sign the appointment letter that Blagojevich gave to Burris, saying he won’t sign onto any such decision by a governor under legal siege.
White said Wednesday says he’s being unfairly blamed by senators for not seating Burris, saying Burris could have been accepted there without his signature.
“My signature is not required,” he said. “My signature is mostly ceremonial, rather than being a point of law.”
Also in Chicago, Burris’ attorneys asked the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday to expedite a hearing on their petition for a court order directing White to certify his appointment.
Burris also was considering a federal lawsuit to force Senate Democrats to seat him.
“Our credentials were rejected by the secretary of the Senate,” said Timothy W. Wright III, an attorney for Burris. “We were not allowed to be placed in the record book. We were not allowed to proceed to the floor for purposes of taking oath. All of which we think was improperly done and is against the law of this land.”
Source: State Journal Register - The Oldest Newspaper In Illinois