Will County Gazette

State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, renewed his call for ethics reform after former House Speaker Mike Madigan declined to show up for his arraignment hearing and pled not guilty in his case related to AT&T.

Madigan and his lobbyist associate Mike McClain both failed to appear in court for their Nov. 1 arraignments, both entering not guilty pleas to the conspiracy charges they face for their ties to AT&T Illinois, according to a report by WIFR TV.

“An honest and transparent state government is possible in Illinois, but it means ending the culture of corruption that has embarrassed our state for decades,” Batinick said in a Facebook post. “If Democrats are serious about earning the trust of Illinois residents, they will join us in the fight for real ethics reform today.”

As part of the scandal, AT&T Illinois, according to Yahoo.com, has agreed to ante up $23 million in a deferred prosecution agreement in the probe of Mahican's political operation. As part of the deal, according to the report, AT&T acknowledged trying to persuade Mahican in an effort to push favorable legislation by giving payments to an ally of the former speaker. The report noted that charges will be dropped against AT&T in two years as a result of the admission. 

According to the Department of Justice, Madigan was indicted on March 2 on charges including bribery and federal racketeering as well as individual counts of using interstate facilities to conduct bribery, wire fraud and attempted extortion. According to the DOJ news release, the 22-count indictment also alleges that Madigan headed a criminal enterprise for nearly 10 years that enhanced his political power and financial position while also ensuring income for his allies. According to Advantage News, Madigan entered a “not guilty” plea to all charges.

The DOJ release also noted that Madigan held positions of Speaker of the House, representative of the 22ndDistrict in Illinois, committeeman for the 13th Ward in Chicago, chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party and 13th Ward Democratic Organization as well as a partner in the Chicago law firm of Madigan & Gretzendanner.

Earlier this year, Republicans in the Illinois Senate promoted a series of bills to address ethic reform, including Senate Bill 3636, which would have permitted the state attorney general to use a statewide grand jury to investigate and prosecute public contractor misconduct.

Moreover, according to the website, the Senate Republicans also proposed amending the state’s RICO law, allowing state’s attorneys investigating corruption the right to use a wiretap. It also would have prohibited members of the General Assembly or members of their families from working as lobbyists while that individual is serving in Springfield. authority to state’s attorneys investigating public corruption. According to the

The website also noted that members of the General Assembly and their immediate families would also be prohibited from working as lobbyists while that person is a member of the legislature. Senate Bill 3030 would have permitted the legislative inspector general to issue subpoenas without seeking permission from the Legislative Ethics Commission.