Skillicorn, GOP colleagues call for special legislative session to tackle ethics reform

SPRINGFIELD (Heartland Newsfeed) — Several members of the Republican caucus are calling for a special session in order to bring ethics reform to the General Assembly, but it doesn’t seem likely it will happen this month.

State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake) recently called for a special session on Twitter, citing that “ending the culture of corruption” is key and “is not rocket science.”

Skillicorn and four other colleagues — Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), Chris Miller (R-Oakland) and Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) — have been demanding that legislators convene in a special session to tackle much-needed ethics reform instead of waiting for the regularly-scheduled session to begin once again on January 28.

The call for the special session comes following the resignation of two veteran Democratic lawmakers, citing an implication in separate corruption probes by the Federal government.

Former state Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) was arrested in late October on charges of bribery, citing an incident regarding bribery of a sitting state senator in exchange for a favorable vote on gambling legislation. Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, also of Chicago, recently tendered his resignation effective in the new year following his implication in an alleged shakedown scheme. Sandoval served as chair of the Senate’s Transportation Committee.

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker announced on Thursday that a special session “doesn’t make sense”, according to a Greg Bishop story in The Center Square.

Jake Leonard

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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