Courtesy of Mish.
One person controls Illinois more than any other. That person is not the Governor. Rather it’s Michael Madigan, Speaker of the House. And it’s been that way for 33 years.
This is a guest post by Austin Berg, of the Illinois Policy Institute.
Madigan’s rules: How one man controls Illinois
Illinoisans may elect who goes to the House of Representatives, but they don’t choose their representation – at least not in any meaningful sense. The power belongs to Madigan. And he represents himself.
On a single day in 2011, Illinois lawmakers introduced and passed the largest tax hike in modern state history in a matter of hours.
And on May 25, 2016, House Democrats introduced and passed a 500-page bill in an evening.
Something is wrong with Illinois democracy. Beyond the budget battle, the Land of Lincoln has failed to create enough decent jobs, failed to provide quality care to the state’s most vulnerable residents, and has shackled its children to debt they can never pay.
Contrary to what many people may think, this is not a bug within Illinois’ legislative process. Rather, it is a feature of House Speaker Mike Madigan’s iron grip over it.
In his role as House speaker, a position he has held for 31 of the past 33 years, Madigan has used many of the General Assembly’s administrative rules to eliminate meaningful debate and maximize his power. His ousting of effective, open democracy has harmed Illinoisans of all political stripes.
