Springfield News
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Instead of making the trip down to Springfield for the first day of fall Veto Session on Monday, State Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) was 200 miles north in a Chicago federal courtroom being arraigned after his Friday arrest on corruption charges.
House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) tells reporters Monday that he’s urging State Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) following his arrest on corruption charges. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
Arroyo is accused of offering to bribe to a state senator by paying him $2,500 a month in exchange for the senator’s support on legislation involving “sweepstakes machines,” a type of gaming machine operating outside of state regulation. According to the criminal complaint, the legislation would benefit one of Arroyo’s clients that he lobbies for in his side business, Spartacus 3 LLC.
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A bill that would phase out the use of a chemical used in manufacturing and sterilization after an uproar of complaints and community activism in the past year passed out of the House Energy and Environment Committee Monday evening, clearing the way for the legislation to be heard in the full House as early as Tuesday.
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A briefcase containing the personal information of 195 foster parents was stolen in July — prompting Department of Children and Family Services officials to warn those on the list to protect themselves from identity theft, according to a letter sent to state officials..
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Lawmakers will return to Springfield Monday nearly five months after a momentous spring legislative session that saw the passage of massive bills from recreational marijuana legalization to a $45 billion infrastructure plan.
But the political climate has shifted significantly since early June, since the existence of widespread federal corruption probes was revealed over the summer and fall. The inquires appear targeted at Democrats and their allies, but the investigations have also shaken Republicans and longtime Springfield lobbyists who work for bipartisan interests across industries.
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OCT 25, 2019
Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith addresses reporters. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
As Gov. JB Pritzker announced dozens of hires for high-level roles in his administration this winter and spring, one of his last picks to head a state agency was Marc Smith, who was announced as the new director of the Department of Children and Family Services on March 27 — more than two months into Pritzker’s time in office.
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An employee in the Illinois Department of Human Services’ inspector general’s office kept his job after an inquiry prompted by allegations that he sexually harassed employees of state contractors, according to a report published by the Executive Inspector General this week.
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Between 2008 and 2017, Chicago’s residential effective tax rate increased by 32.5 percent, while its commercial effective tax rate increased by 69.3 percent in the last decade, according to a new report by the Civic Federation.
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Erin Guthrie [Submitted]
