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Hammond disappointed with House adopting ‘Speaker Madigan’s rules’

Many critics of Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan have said he wields too much power over the law-making process in the state.

Those critics were not subdued by Tuesday’s vote in the House to adopt rules for legislating that are similar to what’s been around since the 1990s.

The rules give the Speaker authority to appoint and remove committee chairs, substitute committee members for key votes, and the power to call a bill for a vote at will.

Also, the Speaker appoints a majority of the member on the rules committee which no bill can become law without passing through.

Rep. Norine Hammond joined fellow GOP representatives in opposing the House Rules for 101st General Assembly, proposed by Democrats.

Republicans including Hammond have consistently criticized the procedures for how laws get through the Chamber, which in practical terms make it difficult to pass a bill that the Speaker doesn’t support.

The rules did pass with Democrats in support and Republicans including Hammond opposed.

She points to an alternative set of rules proposed by the GOP, which would give more opportunities for bills to get votes even if the speaker doesn’t necessarily support them.

Under the Republican proposal, a bill would have required a vote if got a supermajority of support from both parties.

Also, they wanted to extend the public review period for floor amendments with the aim of transparency.

Another aspect of it would provide a way for a bill to be considered in committee without the approval of the powerful rules committee.

House Democratic Majority Leader Greg Harris who is also Chair of the Rules Committee tells the Bloomington Pantagraph that the committee is necessary to “sort and assign the 6,000-plus bills that originate in the Legislature each year.”

Hammond says the current process “limits bi-partisanship” and doesn’t promote transparency.”

For example, it’s currently difficult if not impossible to get a bill passed without Madigan’s support but the GOP proposal would allow a bill to move around the speaker if it had enough bi-partisan support.

Madigan has been Speaker since 1983, except for a two-year period in the ’90s.

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