Distributed via Email: January 9, 2009

HOUSE VOTES TO IMPEACH GOVERNOR

This morning (Friday), the Illinois House of Representatives voted to impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich. The vote was 114-1.

The governor was arrested on December 9, 2008, on charges of conspiring to implement "pay to play" schemes regarding state contracts and Illinois’ open U.S. Senate seat. The house established a Special Investigative Committee the following week to conduct an investigation into the governor’s conduct. That panel, on Thursday, voted unanimously to recommend that the full House of Representatives impeach the governor for his actions.

The house impeachment vote does not remove the governor from office. The Illinois Senate, now, will be charged with conducting a trial regarding the house charges against the governor. If the senate, with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presiding, convicts with a 2/3 majority vote, the governor would be removed from office.

There is no clear timeline yet as to when the impeachment trial will begin in the senate or how long it will take. Many believe that the senate trial will begin the week of January 26. Until then, Governor Blagojevich still refuses to resign and is still officially the governor of the state. Since his arrest, he has continued to take gubernatorial action, including setting off a firestorm on December 30, when he appointed Roland Burris to the open U.S. Senate position. One of the most heinous accusations against the governor is that he sought to sell that Senate office to the highest bidder.

BILLS SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

Governor Blagojevich has signed into law the following bills:

SB 1529 (Forby, D-Benton) cancels all contracts between the Illinois Department of Corrections or the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice and the Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education. It provides that upon cancellation, each employee of the Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education who had been providing educational services for the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be offered certified employment status under the Personnel Code with the State of Illinois. The bill was signed by the governor and is now Public Act 95-1021, effective June 1, 2009.

SB 2824 (Demuzio, D-Carlinville) allows for flexibility for a school district in how it extends taxes to pay the principal and interest on any bonds issued exclusively to refund bonded indebtedness after a school district annexation. The bill was drafted narrowly to only affect the Pana school district. The bill was signed by the governor and is now Public Act 95-1025, effective January 6, 2009.

*The legislative report is written and edited by the lobbyists of the Illinois Association of School Boards to provide information to the members of the organizations that comprise the Statewide School Management Alliance.

General Assembly Bill Text/Status

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