Chicago City Wire

The recent conviction of former Speaker Madigan has brought attention to the ongoing issue of political corruption in Illinois. Austin Berg, vice president of marketing for the Illinois Policy Institute and author of “The New Chicago Way,” emphasized the need for continued efforts against this culture. "The verdict of this case held former Speaker Madigan accountable for his years of corrupt action, but the battle against Illinois’ culture of political corruption must continue," Berg stated. He further added, "To truly protect taxpayers and voters, we need serious ethics reforms at both the state and city level."

Experts from the Illinois Policy Institute have highlighted that no other state has laws as extreme as those in Illinois, which allow the House speaker significant power—a situation that remains unchanged.

Several reforms have been proposed by the institute to address these issues:

1. Ending the revolving door between lawmakers and lobbyists by prohibiting lawmakers from acting as lobbyists while in office and establishing a two-year waiting period before they can become lobbyists after leaving office.

2. Requiring better financial disclosure and voting recusal for conflicts of interest, mandating detailed statements of economic interests from lawmakers, and imposing penalties for rule violations.

3. Empowering the legislative inspector general with authority to issue subpoenas independently and publish findings on wrongdoing.

4. Enacting fair maps through an independent redistricting commission to prevent lawmakers from drawing districts to their advantage.

5. Reforming House Rules to balance legislative power so that no single political office holds excessive control over whether bills are called for a vote.

In 2016, Illinois Policy released a documentary titled “Madigan: Power. Privilege. Politics.” This film exposed Madigan’s authoritative system over Illinois politics. The institute's report on "Madigan’s rules" was crucial in revealing how such power allowed manipulation within the legislative process.

For more information, visit https://illin.is/madiganguilty.