Madigan Calls Special Session Of State House For August, But Not For Any Real Business

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 24, 2012 2:20PM

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has called a special session of the House for Aug. 17. But it isn't to tend to pressing business like finding a compromise on pension reform. Instead, the special session is expected to be a vote on expelling Rep. Derrick Smith from the House.

Smith was indicted on charges he accepted a bribe a week before he won his primary election in March. Since then Illinois Democrats have repeatedly asked Smith to resign; set up a third party candidate to run against him; and had a House committee recommend he be removed from office last week, which was the impetus for Madigan calling the special session.

Madigan told House members to expect business to be completed the same day, which indicates they'll be voting to expel Smith. This seems like a major waste of time. The Springfield State Journal-Register and conservative political blogger John "Marathon Pundit" Ruberry noted that, in the event Madigan can round up the two-thirds vote needed to expel Smith, they couldn't remove Smith from the ballot in November and could possibly be re-elected.

Gov. Pat Quinn, meanwhile, said he hoped the House could do more than be petty during the special session and has hinted that the Aug. 17 session could be good to hammer out a deal on pension reform, which they failed to achieve during the spring session. The major obstacle to pension reform in Illinois has been a plan touted by Madigan to shift the responsibility for funding of teachers pensions to universities and local school districts, a plan which has been rejected by Republican legislators. Madigan removed the proposal from the budget plan at Quinn's behest in May, but not before publicly dressing down the governor.