With the two-year anniversary of former Speaker Mike Madigan’s indictment coinciding with National Ethics Awareness Month, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (Savanna) is using the opportunity to advance ethics reform in the Illinois House this spring.
Leader McCombie is pushing for reform as several indictments have come down recently. To address what the Minority Leader sees as shortcomings, McCombie has filed a measure, HB4119, to prohibit elected officials from using political campaign donations to pay for criminal defense.
Madigan, the longest-serving state House speaker in modern U.S. history, was indicted on federal racketeering and bribery charges in March 2022. He was set to stand trial in federal court in April 2024, but the trial has been pushed back to October 8, 2024. To date, it is confirmed that he has used millions of dollars campaign funds to pay for his legal defense.
House Republicans have pushed hard for greater ethics reform. McCombie’s bill is just one measure out of dozens that Republican lawmakers have planned for this year in the Illinois House.
Leader McCombie’s HB4119 is scheduled for an Ethics and Elections Committee hearing in the Illinois House this week.
