As we roll ahead to the holidays, I just wrapped up two weeks in Springfield for Veto Session and wanted to fill you in on that, as well as some other things you may find useful – the Madigan Trial, prison drug exposures, and the assault weapons ban.
VETO SESSION
We had a very quiet veto session in Springfield. As part of House Republican Leader Tony McCombie’s leadership team, I took this as an opportunity to welcome some of our new lawmakers in the Capitol. These new members will join us in January of 2025 for the 104th General Assembly.
Very little legislative action was taken during the Veto Session. Governor Pritzker and the Democrats punted a large chunk of their controversial legislative proposals that were rumored to the early January Lame-Duck session.
I can’t imagine that we need more time for Chicago Democrats to dream up out-of-touch legislation. We need bipartisan legislation that focuses on the issues that Illinoisans care about. Until the Democrats can get their priorities straight, I oppose a lame duck session, during which I believe the Democrats will try to shove ridiculous legislation down the throats of Illinoisans. Stay tuned.
MADIGAN TRIAL
Mike McClain’s “magic lobbyist list” presented to jurors in Madigan criminal trial. McClain, a former close associate of Michael J. Madigan, is on trial with the former Illinois House Speaker in federal court in Chicago. Madigan and McClain have been charged with a variety of crimes relating to influence peddling. These charges include allegations that Madigan and McClain “clouted” their allies and associates into leadership positions in other key Illinois entities, such as Chicago-based electricity distributor ComEd. On Tuesday, November 19, former ComEd board member Juan Ochoa testified to the court about how, as a Madigan ally, he had won appointment to the governing board of ComEd.
In courtroom action on Monday, November 18, the jurors got to see printed emails from McClain’s home office, which had been raided by the FBI in May 2019. McClain, then a powerful lobbyist and Madigan insider, was actively searching for clients and his emails sold himself as a gatekeeper with ultimate access to Speaker Madigan.
“I don’t roam the [State Capitol] halls like I used to,” McClain admitted, but he claimed that his clout was as big as ever. As proof, the email contained a sealed list, which McClain referred to as a “magic lobbyist list” of influencers associated with McClain and Madigan. Acting as Madigan’s informal aide, McClain wrote down a claim that he had helped these “magic lobbyists” gain special entry into the Speaker’s office.
Once there, these lobbyists could help write the future laws of Illinois, and block bills that their clients did not like. The case being made by the federal prosecution in this trial includes allegations that these lobbyists included high-ranking representatives of ComEd, whose leadership had allegedly been drawn into the Madigan orbit. This orbit included associated control over Illinois electricity generation, distribution, and rates.
CORRECTIONS
Republican Lawmakers Want Answers on IDOC Drug Exposures. State Representative Charlie Meier joined State Representatives David Friess and Bill Hauter to address growing concerns on harmful substances entering Illinois Department of Corrections facilities across Illinois.
“We should be taking every step necessary to protect our prison workers and inmates,” said Rep. Meier. “We’ve requested a hearing to address these concerns, and they’ve been ignored.”
“Until we can figure out what’s going on, we should pause the physical mail process,” Meier suggested. “Our constituents who work in these facilities are telling us that part of the problem is physical mail. Let’s have a hearing and figure out what is going on and how these substances are entering our prisons.”
Meier called out IDOC Acting Director Latoya Hughes, who has not yet been confirmed as Director. “I’m calling on Acting Director Hughes to join me at any one of the facilities that have experienced these drug exposures. Together, her and I will go through the mail. If she is confident that the drugs are coming in elsewhere, she should have no problem doing this with me. At the very least, she owes it to the citizens of Illinois to provide some answers and solutions to this issue, preferably through a committee hearing. It’s imperative that this hearing takes place before Acting Director Hughes’ confirmation hearing.”
The prison workers and inmates in Reps. Meier, Friess, and Hauter’s districts are not the only ones who are being exposed. When exposure to these unknown substances occurs, healthcare workers, family members, and other innocent individuals are at risk.
“At the end of the day, no matter how these drugs and substances are entering our facilities, we need answers and solutions. Why won’t Acting Director Hughes work with us to get to the bottom of this? All we want to do is keep our constituents safe,” Meier noted.
FIREARMS
Atty. Gen. Raoul asks appellate court to stay federal ruling striking down firearms ban. The decision by federal District Judge Stephen McGlynn found that the so-called “Assault Weapons Ban,” a January 2023 law that purports to ban almost all private-sector possessions of certain groups of firearms and ammunition supplies in Illinois, is unconstitutional. The 168-page decision struck down the law in its entirety, citing various case judgements from the United State Supreme Court and other courts that draw broad boundaries around the “right to bear arms” enshrined in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
As with all federal district court decisions in Illinois, the decision can be appealed to the Seventh Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals, the Chicago-based federal appellate court. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, a Democrat, has filed an appeal. His appeal supports the law and opposes the judicial decision. As a move affiliated with the overall appeals process, the attorney general has also asked that the district court’s permanent injunction against the enforceability of the Protect Illinois Communities Act be stayed. If the appellate court grants the stay, the controversial law will remain in place, for now.
I voted no on the ban, because I knew that this law was too vague and unenforceable. The explicit right to bear arms is contained in the federal Bill of Rights, which outranks all State laws.
FIREARM DEER SEASON
Firearm Deer Season Opens Friday in Illinois. Deer hunters in Illinois will be busy this weekend, as firearm hunting season begins this Friday and continues through Sunday, November 24. A second round of firearm deer hunting will be coming in two weeks, from December 5 through 8.
During Firearm Season, hunters can use shotguns, muzzleloaders, handguns, and centerfire rifles. Vertical, traditional, and crossbows can also be used, but only on private property. Hunters also must adhere to clothing requirements, which call for a solid blaze orange or blaze pink hat and an outer garment that displays at least 400 square inches of orange or blaze pink material. In 2018, Rep. Tony McCombie co-sponsored legislation that allowed deer hunters to wear solid pink gear in addition to solid orange.
Hunting hours during this period are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Hunters must also have proper deer permits and a valid hunting license. The bag limit is one deer per hunter, and over a 12-month period that begins on July 1, no hunter may harvest more than two antlered deer. Upon killing a deer, hunters must adhere to reporting/registering guidelines as outlined by the IDNR. Find license and permit information here.
Thank you for taking time to read my Capitol Update. If you have any questions or need assistance with a state agency, please never hesitate to reach out to my district office.
Have a peaceful, wonderful Thanksgiving!