Dave Severin, Illinois State Representative for 116th District | Official Website
Dave Severin, Illinois State Representative for 116th District | Official Website
State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) responded to the imprisonment of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, who began serving his sentence on Monday following a conviction for corruption.
“Speaker Madigan is in jail because the rule of law prevailed. His guilty verdict and prison sentence are proof that, indeed, no one is above the law. In Illinois, we have an unfortunate culture and reputation for public corruption. But it doesn’t have to be this way. My colleagues in the House Republican Caucus and I have introduced multiple bills to address ethics reform and to stamp out corruption,” Severin said.
Severin outlined several anti-corruption measures he supports: “The anti-corruption measures that I support include ending the practice of legislators making laws one day and becoming lobbyists the next day. We must stop the revolving door that keeps the same players playing the same corrupt game year after year. I also support ending the practice of legislators working as lobbyists for county and municipal governments. This practice has inherent conflicts of interest and opens the door to public corruption. I also support banning lawmakers and other politicians from using their campaign funds to mount their legal defense in public corruption cases. It is wrong that someone accused of betraying the public’s trust can use the campaign money they amassed during their time in office while they were committing the crimes they are accused of.”
He called on lawmakers to act: “With Mike Madigan finally behind bars, and with legislators back in Springfield for the next two weeks, we can take meaningful action on these items to begin to restore the public’s trust in a state government that has built a long, embarrassing, and shameful record of public corruption. It’s time to act.”
Severin was elected as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 116th House District in 2023, succeeding David Friess.
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