NW Illinois News

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan reported to prison on October 13, following his conviction earlier this year on charges including bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, and other corruption offenses related to a scheme involving Commonwealth Edison. Madigan was sentenced in June to seven and a half years in federal prison and fined $2.5 million. His request to remain out of prison during the appeals process was denied by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Senator Andrew Chesney stated, "As you may recall, I was one of the original petitioners for the initial internal investigation into political wrongdoing by the former Speaker." Chesney has criticized Democratic lawmakers for not advancing ethics reform measures after Madigan’s conviction.

Several Republican-backed bills addressing ethics are currently pending in Springfield but have not been brought forward for consideration by Senate Democrats. These include:

- SB 2165 (Snyder Decision): Expands definitions of bribery and legislative misconduct based on distinctions made in the Supreme Court’s Snyder v. United States decision.

- SB 1815 (Revolving Door): Prohibits employers from offering jobs or compensation to individuals restricted by revolving door provisions.

- SB 53 (Lobbyist No Promising Anything of Value): Bans lobbyists from offering anything of value in exchange for legislative support.

- SB 2355 (No Private Pay for Public Work): Prevents state employees from receiving private compensation for official duties.

- SB 211 (SOEI Family Disclosure): Requires disclosure of family members working within the same government unit when filing statements of economic interest.

- SB 2378 (RICO Wiretap): Expands Illinois’ R.I.C.O. law to cover additional misconduct and allows court-approved wiretaps.

Lawmakers have returned to Springfield this week for the first three days of the Fall Veto Session, with additional session dates scheduled later in October. The legislature will review bills vetoed by the Governor and may address unresolved issues such as public transit funding, energy policy, and tax incentives for large projects.

Chesney also noted community engagement efforts in his district. Nearly 400 IPASS stickers were distributed at a recent event in Galena organized with assistance from the Illinois Tollway mobile team. Chesney announced plans to continue hosting similar events across his district.

The next event on his calendar is a pet adoption event scheduled for December 13 at Friends Forever Humane Society in Freeport.

In other updates, the Illinois Department of Revenue has issued a warning about a new nationwide text message scam targeting taxpayers with fraudulent messages that appear to be from state agencies. The department emphasized that it communicates primarily through official mail or its secure online platform MyTax Illinois and advised residents not to respond to unsolicited requests for personal information.

Chesney is a Republican who was elected to represent Illinois’ 45th Senate District in 2023, succeeding Brian Stewart.