This Week in Springfield: 

Legislative Update: 

This week, the Illinois House met Tuesday through Friday in Springfield. Our main emphasis was on committee meetings, as Friday originally marked the deadline to get house bills passed out of committee. There were over 400 bills that passed out of House committees this week, including two of my proposals:

• House Bill 1248 that passed out of committee provides for more trustee representation from fire protection districts on local Firefighters’ Pension Investment Boards. 
• House Bill 3620 is a proposal I wrote about last week that gives authority to law enforcement professionals to selectmembers of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

A mother testified that she was sued by the largest teachers union in the country for asking questions about her kindergartener's curriculum, specifically regarding gender theory. The mother was concerned about the content being taught to her child and the lack of transparency from the school district. The teachers union claimed that the mother's requests for information were "harassment" and filed a lawsuit against her. The mother's testimony has sparked debate about the balance between parental involvement in their child's education and the responsibilities of educators to create safe and inclusive learning environments.

https://twitter.com/EdWorkforceCmte/status/1631374847610593286?s=20

and...

https://twitter.com/UltraDane/status/1631507091084169218?s=20

https://youtu.be/L7WGMokVHKs

The Senate returns to Springfield this week with an eye on the March 10 deadline for Senate Bills to have cleared a committee. While there are legislative loopholes that still allow some bills to advance past this deadline, for the most part, bills that do not receive a positive vote at the committee level by Friday, March 10 are considered “dead” for this session year. I personally have a few bills that are pending before substantive...

Former Liberty First PAC Executive Director, Chris Kasperski had a few things to say about JB's attempt to ban firearms at McHenry County Board's Committee of the Whole...

https://www.youtube.com/live/qWvlxOsVKPg?feature=share&t=5625

Had Enough?!

Illinois is the way it is because we, all of us, took our hands off the wheel and our eyes off the road for too long. Calculating political creatures took over our state and have pillaged our communities. When they ignored more than 80,000 witness slips against changing the "Right of Conscience act", they made it clear that they have no interest, in any interest, other than their own.

Ready to do something about it?

We can resign ourselves to live in their state, move, or fight. I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in a tyrannical, racist, lawless state, and I don't want to move. I've built my life here. My family is here. My history is here. And if I have anything to say about it, my future is here.

You are not alone. Not by a long shot. Join us.

We are one group of many across the state, and we are growing every day. Citizens and leaders from their communities coming together to answer the question, "Are you ready to take back your government?" If you are ready but just unsure about what you can do or how to do it, reach out to us. It's not too late and its never too soon.

SPRINGFIELD – Four individuals charged in the ongoing federal case against former House Speaker Michael Madigan are scheduled to face a jury trial in September for their alleged roles in the ComEd bribery scandal.

On May 5, scores of police officers from across the state, as well as many of their friends and families, will be in Springfield for a ceremony honoring officers who gave their lives in the line of duty.

A new law is on the books designed to help prevent sex offenders from finding work at Illinois schools. Meanwhile, the Illinois Department of Public Health is on the lookout for severe cases of hepatitis in children.

An electric pickup truck is being called the coolest thing made in Illinois, following an ongoing competition, and Illinoisans may need to keep an eye out for farm equipment on roads as planting season is off to a slow start.

Trial set for defendants in Madigan bribery case

September 12 will mark the beginning of a trial for the first four defendants in the bribery case involving former Speaker Madigan. Defense lawyers had asked for a bench trial, but federal prosecutors have rejected that proposal, meaning the four will face a jury trial in the fall.

The defendants include Michael McClain, a former lawmaker and longtime confidant of Madigan; Anne Pramaggiore, former CEO of ComEd; John Hooker, former ComEd lobbyist; and Jay Doherty, a former consultant to ComEd and former leader of the City Club of Chicago.

The four individuals are accused of conspiring to bribe former Speaker Madigan by arranging for jobs, contracts, and monetary payments to many of his associates, including instances when associates performed little or no work.

Madigan and McClain were both indicted earlier this year on racketeering charges that include the ComEd scandal. Madigan has pled not guilty, but no trial date has yet been set for the former Speaker.

State Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) says the ongoing legal case exemplifies the state’s need for stronger ethics rules for elected officials. Despite the recent spate of indictments, the General Assembly advanced no new ethics legislation during the spring session.

More information about the case can be found at https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-comed-bribery-scheme-michael-mcclain-madigan-jury-trial-set-20220426-ssx3mjlefrdzbpc3il2aq6j5qm-story.html

Republican Frontrunner for Governor State Senator, Darren Bailey, Launches TV Ad Buy Promoting Proven Conservative Record      Louisville, IL—State Senator Darren Bailey launched a nearly $400,000 TV ad campaign touting proven conservative of standing up and fighting with parents and students and against the failed establishment in Springfield. In addition, Bailey's campaign released the following statement.   "Republicans deserve a nominee who is actually a Republican. Working families and taxpayers deserve a Governor who will stand up to the failed establishment in both parties and fight for them. Darren Bailey is the conservative choice and the only one in this race with a proven record of standing up and fighting against Pritzker's mandates and failed and extreme national agenda. Darren has fought against every tax increase in Springfield. In addition, he has fought for law enforcement, safer communities, and bringing more opportunities to Illinois. We have led in every poll in this primary, and this ad buy will only build on the momentum our grassroots movement continues to build." Transcript   Announcer: A 3rd Generation farmer, Darren Bailey learned the values of hard work, honesty and faith. Darren took those values to Springfield. Stood up to the Madigan machine – fighting every single tax increase. Sued Governor Pritzker AND WON to keep Illinois open. Now Darren is running for governor with a plan to cut taxes… …Increase police funding. …and prevent voter fraud. Darren Bailey, the only true conservative Republican for Governor. Join our movement. To learn more about Darren Bailey, visit BaileyforIllinois.com.   ###

If you are a conservative candidate and would like to see your press release here, email it to [email protected]

March 9, 2022 marked two years since Gov. Pritzker issued his first disaster declaration in response to COVID-19, allowing him to impose sweeping emergency powers free of legislative input and oversight. Since then, he has re-issued his disaster declaration approximately every 30 days as a way to skirt the 30-day limit on declared disasters imposed through the Emergency Management Agency Act.

I continue to advocate for the reining-in of Gov. Pritzker’s powers, and have co-sponsored legislation that renews Senate Republicans’ calls that the Governor receive General Assembly approval before an emergency declaration is extended past 30 days. Senate Bill 3888 was filed in January of this year and has languished in the Senate Assignments Committee.

During the last two years, Gov. Pritzker has issued over 100 executive orders, a milestone nobody is celebrating. The orders have created chaos, confusion, and devastation. Some of the Governor’s failures throughout the pandemic include:

• Arbitrary closures and regulations that have stacked the deck in favor of large corporates over the small businesses that serve as the backbone of Illinois’ local economies;
• A slower economic recovery rate than other states, with Illinois ranking 48^th in the nation, and Illinois posting the 10^th highest unemployment numbers in the nation according to data from December, 2021;
• A dysfunctional Illinois Department of Employment Security that allowed for an alarming amount of fraud, while real claimants were left waiting weeks for earned benefits or even a call back;
• A deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home that claimed the lives of 36 veterans after it took his Department of Public Health nearly two weeks to do an on-site visit after the outbreak was reported;
• Not prioritizing the most vulnerable populations during the vaccine rollout; and
• Student academic and achievement declines across the state.

Recently, the Illinois court system and the bipartisan and bicameral Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), a committee on which I sit, both rebuffed the governor’s abuse of his emergency powers.

The first appearance in the case of the United State of America v. Michael J Madigan and Michael M McClain took place on Wednesday via telephone conference. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole handled the arraignment. Speaking through one of his attorneys, Mike Madigan pled not guilty to all counts in the indictment against him.