CHICAGO - When Attorney General Lisa Madigan was sworn into office in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, she vowed to uphold the Illinois Constitution. Madigan announced this week she would run for the office again in 2018 - possibly setting a term record for the office.
AG Madigan has raised few Chicago media eyebrows over the years - ever turning a blind eye to political corruption in a state that has for years ranked in the top four most corrupt states in the nation.
And that corruption is costing taxpayers - billions.
In a 2014 study by Indiana University, researchers found that spending in high corruption states was different than their less corrupt counterparts. According to the report, "states with higher levels of corruption are likely to favor construction, salaries, borrowing, correction, and police protection at the expense of social sectors such as education, health and hospitals."
That sounds like Illinois, doesn't it?
Frustrated with the failing system of determining a balanced budget, State Rep. Keith Wheeler of Oswego initiated a letter to AG Madigan this week, calling on her to demand the Illinois House follow the law.
The letter to Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Thursday called on her to use the power of her office to force the Illinois General Assembly to adopt a revenue estimate prior to the filing and passage of any spending bills, in order to prevent further damage to the state’s finances and the many social service providers who serve the most vulnerable individuals and families across Illinois.
Representative Wheeler’s letter to the Attorney General was co-signed by 39 other House Republican legislators.
In the letter, Wheeler cited several prior court rulings and instances which set precedent for the Attorney General to intervene to ensure the Illinois Constitution is upheld. Both the Constitution and state law require the General Assembly to adopt a revenue estimate on which to base a balanced budget for the forthcoming fiscal year, an action which legislators have failed to take in either of the past two years and haven’t yet done for the coming fiscal year.
“It is time for the Attorney General to step in,” Representative Wheeler said. “The majority party in the General Assembly refuses to do their job and take the first, most basic step in the state budget process, which is to adopt a revenue estimate. It is common sense that you can’t determine how much you’re going to spend; and on which priorities, until you know how much revenue you have. Illinois families and taxpayers understand this principle; and until two years ago, the state did too.”
“Even though I am a relative newcomer to Springfield, I have learned firsthand how the budget impasse has a devastating impact on families and the human service providers who care for the most vulnerable in our community. The Attorney General can help us end this ongoing tragedy by forcing state legislators to do their job.”
As of Friday, only 12 days remain until the May 31 deadline to pass a budget for Fiscal Year 2018.
