Paperwork has been filed in Springfield that begins the process of a special investigation into Speaker of the House Mike Madigan and the contents of a deferred prosecution agreement between ComEd and the US Attorney’s Office of Northern Illinois. The agreement, made public in July, implicates the Speaker in a nine-year pay-to-play and bribery scheme. A panel of three Republicans and three Democrats will conduct the official hearings.
Upon learning of the filing, State Representative Steve Reick issued the following statement:
“The filers of this petition utilized House Rule 91 as the basis for their request,” said Reick. “We have a few different tools at our disposal for addressing alleged misconduct by elected officials, and the provisions of Rule 91 outline a clear process for gathering testimony and issuing findings in cases where corruption is alleged or suspected.
“The facts as agreed to by ComEd paint a very disturbing picture of political malfeasance, yet members of the majority party are slow-walking ethics reform in this election year. The Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform has not met since early March, and the two people who have the authority to call the House back into session- Governor Pritzker and Mike Madigan- seem unwilling to reconvene so we can take votes on substantive ethics reform. “House Rule 91 is rarely used, but in this climate where suspected misconduct goes all the way to the top, the rule is in place as a last resort to force action. I believe we are at that point.”