(The Center Square) – Some Illinois lawmakers are expressing hope that the General Assembly will get serious about ethics reform in 2025.
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, is the latest in a long line of state politicians to go on trial for alleged corruption. Madigan and former lawmaker-turned-lobbyist Michael McClain pleaded not guilty to 23 federal counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday in the trial, which began with jury selection on Oct. 8, 2024.
State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, expressed optimism about ethics reform.
“Of course ethics will be top of mind. We want to make sure that when people are serving in these capacities, they are doing it for the right reasons,” Delgado told The Center Square. “The folks who have come to join me, we’ve seen a huge turnover in the folks who serve, at least in the House. I think you’re seeing a new day in Illinois. We’re all very committed to making sure that service is top of mind.”
First-year state Rep. Regan Deering, R-Decatur, said people on both sides of the aisle are calling for ethics reform.
“I’d really like to have conversations with my new fellow colleagues and just talk about the culture that has permeated Illinois’ government for too long,” Deering told The Center Square. “Both sides of the aisle have been calling for stronger ethics reforms. Obviously, the majority party is the Democrats right now, so they’re in the driver’s seat.”
Several former elected officials have joined activists’ calls for stronger ethics laws since the Madigan trial began.
Last October, former Gov. Pat Quinn suggested that it was important for the legislature to act while the Madigan corruption trial is going on.
“Hopefully, the events of this year will lead the powers that be, the state constitutional officers and the legislature, to enact these tough ethical standards,” Quinn said. “I believe in an ethics initiative. If you lived in places like Ohio or Michigan or Missouri, our nearby neighbors, voters by binding referendum through initiative petitions, can put ethics measures for their elected officials on the ballot. We need to do that in Illinois.”