Springfield News
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A company linked to the arrest and resignation of former State Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) on corruption charges for allegedly bribing a state senator for his support on legalizing “sweepstakes machines” sued west suburban Addison last month after the town passed an ordinance banning the machines.
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Democratic political operative Alaina Hampton shook up Springfield politics last year when she accused a top aide to House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) of sexual harassment, and subsequently sued four of Madigan’s operations — the Democratic Party of Illinois and three of his political funds: Friends of Michael J. Madigan, Democratic Majority and the 13th Ward Democratic Organization — alleging retaliation for “asserting her rights to be free from unlawful harassment and a sexually hostile work environment by failing to hire her to work as a political consultant for the 2018 campaign cycle.”
Alaina Hampton holds a news conference in 2017 to announce she has asked city officials to investigate whether Ald. Marty Quinn (13) failed to stop sexual harassment in the 13th Ward's political organization. [AD Quig, The Daily Line]
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Illinois will need to contribute $9.8 billion to its five state pension systems during the 2021 fiscal year, according to new actuarial estimates published last week, representing a $538 million increase in pension costs from what the state is paying to the five systems in the 2020 fiscal year.
In 2012, Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration created “Squeezy the Pension Python” as part of its marketing plan to win public support for a pension overhaul law that would cut benefits to state retirees. [Screengrab from YouTube]
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Six members of the Illinois House will begin the process of expelling State Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) from the chamber at a Friday hearing in Chicago, one week after Arroyo was arrested on corruption charges for allegedly bribing a state senator with $2,500 in monthly payments for his support on a bill that would benefit a client he was lobbying for locally.
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As lawmakers prepare to debate a massive consolidation proposal to whittle down Illinois’ 649 suburban and downstate public safety pension funds down to two, Moody’s Investors Service issued a warning for the city with perhaps the worst-funded pension funds in the state.
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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been counting on a trailer bill to pass during the General Assembly’s Fall Veto Session that would change the tax rates approved in a massive gambling expansion law earlier this year that approved a license for the city’s first-ever casino.
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Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope.
Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope in July asked the state’s four legislative leaders to give her the power to launch investigations and issue subpoenas without first asking the permission of a body made up of eight lawmakers.
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Gov. JB Pritzker’s office on Tuesday released bill language aimed at consolidating Illinois’ 649 downstate police and firefighter pension funds into two large funds, which the governor claims will add billions to the investment potential of the funds, many of which are ailing. Meanwhile, a bill that would allow college athletes to profit from endorsement deals cleared a House Committee.
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A Special Investigating Committee aimed at expelling arrested State Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) from the Illinois House is taking shape with both the Democratic and Republican caucuses announcing members to weigh Arroyo’s fate beginning Friday in Chicago.
State Sen. Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) speaks with a staffer in Room 212 of the Capitol after Senate Executive Committee while reporters wait outside. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
