SPRINGFIELD – If, for some reason, Governor Bruce Rauner were not able to finish out his four-year term, the Republican would be succeeded by longtime Democrat House Speaker Mike Madigan's daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan if a new measure moving through the Illinois House were currently in place in the Illinois Constitution.
UPDATE X1: Rep. McSweeney emphasizes that the measure he's proposing [as described below] would not go into effect until 2019, and if it were to go into effect at that time only, voters would be reminded that they are voting for governor and his potential successor would be the attorney general elected at the same time.
"I don't want anyone to be mistaken that this would take effect now as you described [in the first paragraph]," he told Illinois Review. "It would not go into effect until 2019."
Tuesday, the Illinois House State Government Administration Committee approved a measure to save taxpayers approximately $1.6 million each year by eliminating the office of Lieutenant Governor according to State Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills), the sponsor of the legislation.
The Illinois House State Government Administration Committee approved House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 5 (HJRCA 5) by a 12-0 vote.
“The office of Lieutenant Governor has limited official responsibilities and it is time to eliminate the office,” McSweeney said. “In light of the state’s overwhelming financial problems, we need to be looking at ways to save taxpayers’ money. I have supported the idea of eliminating the office of Lieutenant Governor for many years because it is a simple way to reduce expenses and save taxpayers’ money.”
House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 5 (HJRCA 5) would eliminate the office of the Lieutenant Governor beginning with the term of office commencing in 2019. The bill provides for a new Gubernatorial succession with the Attorney General, Secretary of State, and then as provided by law, respectively. The $1.6 million savings estimate is derived by averaging the money appropriated for the Lieutenant Governor's office for FY 11 through FY 15.
Currently, gubernatorial candidates run as a team with their select lieutenant gubernatorial candidates.
“The bottom line is that eliminating the office of Lieutenant Governor would save taxpayers about $1.6 million each year,” McSweeney said. “Obviously, we still have a long way to go to get Illinois’ finances back on track, but we have to start somewhere. Eliminating an office with limited responsibilities and duties is a logical place to start."
In 2013, Representative McSweeney sponsored the same constitutional amendment to eliminate the Lieutenant Governor's office (HJRCA 18), which passed the House with 83 votes.
HJRCA 5 will now move to the House Floor for further consideration. It requires a three-fifths majority to pass, but a matching measure will also need to be passed by the Illinois Senate to amend the Constitution.
It will also need to be approved by a majority of Illinois voters.
