During every Presidential race, the ridiculously important topic of "Who gets to choose Supreme Court Justices" plays a ridiculously minor part in the voters' decision making process. Similarly, in the most recent statewide elections, the topic that could be the decade's most important political decision is one that got equally little discussion during the last election cycle: redistricting. Map-making. Redrawing. "Gerrymandering." more ›

The Illinois House returns to work tomorrow and, with time ticking down on the current veto session, it looks like House Democrats are going to need some votes if they want to pass that proposed income tax hike hammered out with Gov. Quinn. Spring Valley Rep. Frank Mautino, House Speaker Michael Madigan's budget expert, told the Sun-Times, "I don't see there are enough votes." more ›

Mike Madigan shared some advice for Governor Quinn with the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday: "Be like me," he said, adding, "Learn day by day. Try and make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today." Madigan also suggested that he thinks Quinn would learn from his experiences. "I would think that he's going to learn from his experience," Madigan told the Tribune. "I would think he would." more ›

Oh, by the way, the state legislature adjourned over the weekend without a final state budget passed. With Gov. Quinn wanting that income tax increase and a $13 billion hole to fill, there's still work to be done, especially for Dems who have until May 31 to pass any budget. After that day, the legislature will require a super-majority (i.e., Republican support) to pass the budget. So when will the legislature reconvene? more ›

What a long, strange trip it's been and it's apparently not over. The Saga of Scott Lee Cohen continued last week as Michael Sneed claimed Cohen was going to announce a run at Governor as an independent. The problem? Cohen didn't show up to the event where he was going to allegedly make the announcement. According to Chicago Current, Cohen was due to appear at the inaugural meeting of Reform Chicago Now, a group formed by former Republican comptroller candidate William J. Kelly. But Kelly told Current that Cohen skipped the event because he claimed the restaurant - Cafe Erie - told him the event was canceled out of fear of "retaliation from the city." Cafe Erie denied that allegation so there seem to be some sort of shenanigans going on. more ›

House Speaker Michael Madigan's proposal to eliminate the office of Lt. Governor advanced in the Illinois House yesterday, as the House Executive Committee voted 8-0 to send the measure to the full house. Under Madigan's proposed amendment, the office would be eliminated by 2015. The bill must still clear the state Senate and be approved by voters in November. The Madigan Amendment would provide for the State Attorney General to assume the governor's seat in the event that the sitting governor quits, dies or is removed from office. more ›

The Cohen Affair continues to show its far-reaching effects. Nevermind that it was just a year ago that Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn got called up to the big leagues to take over for ousted governor Rod Blagojevich. That position could soon become a thing of the past if State House Speaker Michael Madigan gets his way. Madigan introduced a bill yesterday that, if passed, would put the issue on the November election ballot and, if approved, would eliminate the Lt. Gov. position altogether come January 2015. Not that anyone else had a choice, as ABC 7 reports it appears Madigan introduced the bill without consulting anyone else on the subject. Meanwhile, there's currently a bill in the Senate that would require the Lt. Gov. and Governor candidates to run together, a la Presidential elections. Either way, it looks like the latest kerfuffle has finally pushed action on the position even as we await the decision of who the Dems will slate for this November's election. more ›

After a summer filled with debate amongst the Cook County Commissioners in regards to the sales tax rollback, Board President Todd Stroger's veto, and the commissioners inability to garner enough votes to override said veto, the state legislature has gotten involved. Yesterday, both the House (by a 66-49 vote) and the Senate (by a 49-1 vote) passed a bill that sets the new requirement for a veto override at three-fifths of the commissioners (11) rather than the current requirement of fourth-fifths (14). Now all that's left is for Gov. Quinn to sign it. The bill was specifically aimed at Stroger and the tax rollback. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge), said, "This is a great win for taxpayers in Cook County." Stroger spokeswoman Chris Geovanis said, "We're disappointed that the legislature chose not to use logic and decided to change the rules in the middle of the game." Stroger has previously said he would fight any such legislation in court if it was passed. more ›

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan's law firm has been helping state contractors save on state property taxes, when they have property development business before the state. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

With a state budget still not in place and lawmakers trying to figure out how to plug a budget hole that ranges somewhere between $9 billion and $11.6 billion, Governor Quinn has decided to go straight to legislators instead of the usual dealings with party leaders. Among those who Quinn has met with is Sen. James Meeks, who supports Quinn's proposed income tax hike. Quinn told reporters, "I have a number of other legislators -- Democrat and Republican, House and Senate -- I will be meeting with over the next few days. We believe in consensus-building.'' more ›

Following up on our earlier post about the budget crisis facing the state, Gov. Pat Quinn today announced he was vetoing part of the budget that had be presented him by the state assembly. The part Quinn vetoed dealt with social services, calling the fight to hold out for more funding via his budget and tax increases was a "fight worth fighting for." Per the Tribune: more ›

That's right, Illinois, it's an exciting day as the new Fiscal Year has begun and- what? There's no budget but rather a huge budget hole? Between $7 billion and $9 billion? Shit. Didn't we just boot a corrupt as all Hell governor so that the state government could right this sinking ship? Well...crap. more ›

When we mentioned the Trib's investigation into a "clout list" for admissions to the University of Illinois, several readers expressed what's best described as a lack of shock. Pulling strings to gain admittance to a college is certainly nothing new, but if Governor Quinn has his way, it'll soon be a thing of the past. Yesterday, Quinn announced a new seven-member "clout commission" to investigate the shenanigans going on at the University of Illinois which will be led by retired federal Judge Abner Mikva. The panel will be able to investigate the list and must issue a report to the governor within 60 days. Per the Tribune: more ›

Something's up over at City Hall where, according to Crain's Greg Hinz, the GOP's national party has filed a request for communications with Attorney General Lisa Madigan and her father, State Speaker of the House Mike Madigan (pictured right). more ›

The Sun-Times dug up an obscure piece of testimony from Al Sanchez's corruption trial earlier this year. Referring to Jack Drumgould's statement that the Bureau of Electricity, part of the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation, was known as "Madigan Electric" because of many city workers connections to the state's House Speaker, the paper takes a closer look at campaign contributions to Mike Madigan from bureau employees. "In all, 16 employees of the bureau have contributed a total of $45,200 since 1997 to the speaker's 13th Ward Democratic Organization and to Citizens for Lisa Madigan, according to campaign records," the Sun-Times reports. more ›

Stepping in to do what Governor Pat Quinn has been unwilling or unable to, House Speaker Mike Madigan introduced legislation Thursday that would, in one fell swoop, terminate all political appointments who were nominated by the Governor between January 11, 1999 and January 29, 2009. To wit, the Officials and Employees Termination Act of 2009, HB4450,

Provides that the terms of office or employment of all designated officials and employees are terminated, by operation of law, effective on the effective date of the Act. The designated officials and employees are (i) the heads, assistant heads, and deputy heads of executive State agencies who were nominated by the Governor between January 11, 1999 and January 29, 2009 for a position that requires the advice and consent of the Senate, (ii) members of executive boards or commissions who were nominated by the Governor between those dates for a position that requires the advice and consent of the Senate, (iii) employees of executive State agencies or executive boards or commissions, whose employment in a Rutan exempt position began between those dates, (iv) employees of executive State agencies or executive boards or commissions, appointed to a term appointment between those dates, and (v) any other official or employee who was nominated by the Governor between those dates for a position that requires the advice and consent of the Senate.

A deal to bring a few more casinos to the areas and slot machines to horse tracks was squashed earlier this week by State House Speaker Mike Madigan. CBS 2 reports Madigan said via a statement, "I learned from the process of killing the Blagojevich gambling proposals that gambling is not a wholesome activity, and we're not going to deal with that this year." Meanwhile, Ashok Selvam has a closer look at Off Track Betting sites in the burbs and their impact over at the Daily Herald. more ›

In the state where we tax the shit out of everything, there's a new gas tax proposal just waiting to raise our ire. State Senate President John Cullerton and Speaker of the House Mike Madigan are co-sponsoring a bill that would raise the tax on a gallon of gas to 27 cents a gallon; motorists currently pay 19 cents a gallon. The reason? To help fund "Grow Illinois", which would pay for debt services and capital improvements the wake of the state's budget shortfall. Another co-sponsor, State Rep. Luis Arroyo, (D-Chicago) said, "No tax for the taxpayers of Illinois is easy. We need infrastructure and we need jobs. Everybody's crying for jobs. There's a lot of people getting laid off. We have to do a capital bill." That raises taxes on people who can't afford to travel to their jobs as it is? more ›

Shortly after meeting with President Barack Obama and the other big wigs in D.C. today, Governor Pat Quinn announced that he will focus on passing the much needed, (and much delayed) capital spending bill. Setting April 3 as the date, Quinn told the press that "it will give us a target to shoot at and keep an urgent approach," and mentioned that while he planned to present the date to the legislature Wednesday, he had already discussed it privately with some members of the General Assembly. "We will (pass a capital bill)," said Quinn, adding that he will present the bill, along with the rest of his budget, to the public and the legislature on March 18. more ›

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has called Illinois lawmakers back to Springfield with the apparent hopes that a vote on Gov. Blagojevich's impeachment will happen soon. The committee formed to decide whether or not impeachment should be recommended reconvenes on Tuesday and Madigan is asking legislators to be back by Wednesday for a special session that could continue through January 13. Madigan's implication is that a House vote on whether or not to impeach Blago could come as early as the end of next week. Somehow we think this is incredibly optimistic, but what do we know? We are but simple cavemen, unfrozen in your modern time... more ›

Okay, we know that the wheel of justice turns slowly, but when Mike Madigan says that he'll be working every single day except for holidays on the impeachment proceedings of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, we really expected more than 60 minutes of real reportable work. The Old Grey Lady is reporting that Federal prosecutors and Blago's defense people sat down for just an hour of hearings before adjourning til' tomorrow morning. more ›

It's been a week since Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption and fraud charges. We aren't surprised so much with the what as with the why. Still, it's a week later and, besides becoming the laughing-stock of the country, not all that much has changed. Gov. Blagojevich is still in charge, he's still signing bills, and - yes - he even still has the power to appoint a senator to replace President-Elect Barack Obama. more ›

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan announced today he is formally beginning proceedings towards the impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The first step will be to appoint a committee that will review the evidence and recommend whether or not Blagojevich should be impeached. Madigan said, "We plan to proceed without delay," and promises the committee will work tirelessly except for taking Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off. So it's going to take weeks to decide whether or not to recommend impeachment? Here we'll help you out: YES. There, let's move on to the next stage. more ›

North Side State Senator Jon Cullerton (6th District) was selected to replace Emil Jones as President of the State Senate Wednesday night by fellow Democrats. The vote came on the second ballot as Cullerton defeated Belleville Sen. James Clayborne for the spot. The selection of Cullerton signals a shift in Springfield: Jones was an ally of Gov. Rod Blagojevich but Cullerton got his start as a deputy to House Speaker and Blago foe Mike Madigan. Senate Democrats will submit the Cullerton pick to the full Senate in January. Political alliances are fun! more ›

A Springfield Jaycees' Haunted House was forced to paint over a mural which included a depiction of Mike Madigan and Gov. Blagojevich strangling each other and GOP VP Candidate Sarah Palin shooting Bullwinkle J. Moose (who was holding a "Joe Biden" sign). This after Illinois Department of Agriculture officials saw the mural which spokesman Jeff Squibb said, "wasn't appropriate for a family event." More legitimate, though, are worries that the mural could be seen as "electioneering on state-owned property." The haunted house is located in a space below the Illinois State Fairgrounds Grandstand. Gary Kessler, who designed the room the mural was in, was nonplussed by the reasoning. "It shows a complete and total lack of any sense of humor. Not family friendly? As opposed to cannibalism, chain saws, axes and body parts?" It just goes to show that even at Halloween, politics is the scariest horror of all. ZING! more ›

Illinois Senate President Emil Jones circulated a memo Thursday saying that the Senate won't reconvene until November 12. That means that the fate of the state ethics bill may be in jeopardy. The ethics bill, subject of an amendatory veto by Blagojevich and overridden by the House just the day before, could die if the Senate doesn't take action within 15 days. But Jones spokesperson Cindy Davidsmeyer told CBS2 that the Senate has 15 days from when it holds its next meeting to take action. more ›

House Speaker Mike Madigan presented a bill yesterday that would allow Illinois to be the first state in the nation to lease its lottery, in exchange for billions of dollars for a statewide capital construction program. The governor has said that leasing the lottery could raise as much as $10 billion. Without an actual offer on the table, though, that number is hard to verify. more ›

Wow, and I thought everyone saying "can't we all just get along?" on this week was moving. FotS and WBEZ correspondent Justin Kaufmann sends along this video from the Illinois delegation's breakfast in Denver this morning. Hugs for everyone! more ›

House Speaker Mike Madigan, speaking to the press at the Illinois State Fair, said yesterday that he may actually consider leasing the state lottery to pay for a capital construction plan. "Over the last few days in the House of Representatives, we've had two very productive meetings concerning a potential lease of the state lottery, where the proceeds of that lease would be used for a capital construction program," Madigan said. more ›

When reporters around the state bust the Governor's balls, it's just another day at the office. But when a 16-year-old high school student gets all up in G-Rod's business, it's news. Aaron Mulvey of downstate Rochester confronted the Gov at the state fair yesterday, video camera in hand, to ask for the millions of dollars the state promised Rochester High 6 years ago—and then promptly sat on. more ›