SE Illinois News

A downstate lawmaker worries even with Mike Madigan out as House Speaker not much has changed about Springfield’s business-as-usual way of doing things.

“We might have a new Speaker but nothing has really changed,” Paul Jacobs (R-Carbondale) told the SE Illinois News after newly installed Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch revealed his new rules for the House. “The old way of doing business is alive and well. We still can count on budget bills coming across our desks in the wee hours of the morning with only minutes to see what’s in these documents.”

While Democrats are selling Welch’s changes, which include a 10-year limit on the time an individual can serve as Speaker or as minority leader, and a rule that establishes the Rules Committee will now be required to refer all House bills “to a substantive committee” before the deadline for committees to act on them expires, as examples of him flexing his political independence, Jacobs fumes they merely set the stage for more of the same.

“The Speaker will still essentially have total control of the legislative process,” he added. “We have seen how this has worked out for the people of Illinois. Our state has the worst credit rating of all 50 states. We have some of the highest taxes in the country and we have one of the worst funded pension systems compared to other states. One-man rule has been a disaster and unfortunately the adoption of these new rules maintains the status quo.”

After nearly four decades of being in power, Madigan was finally shown the door after finding himself at the center of an ongoing federal corruption probe involving Com-Ed and a purported pay-for-play scheme where perks were allegedly steered to him in exchange for favorable legislation.