Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) | Photo Courtesy of Adam Niemerg
Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) | Photo Courtesy of Adam Niemerg
A bill aimed at preventing another Illinois lawmaker from a decades-long run in a leadership role, such as former Rep. Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) who was House speaker for 36 years, by putting a 10-year cap on the position has passed the House of Representatives.
Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) co-sponsored House Bill 642. Niemerg said in a statement the message lawmakers sent with its passage was "very clear" they will not tolerate another Madigan.
"This is just the beginning of the REFORMS that we need to move Illinois in a new direction," Niemerg wrote in a post on his Facebook page.
House Bill 642 received bipartisan support with 115 state representatives approving the measure. It now heads to the State Senate.
If the bill becomes law, lawmakers in positions such as Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and minority leaders in both chambers would be limited to 10 consecutive years in those roles. It approved in the Senate and signed by the governor, the rule change would take effect at the start of the next General Assembly in 2023.
Illinois Policy reported Madigan's extended reign as Speaker cost the state financially, with not only a drastic drop in Illinois' credit rating to the lowest in the country but also a skyrocketing debt.
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