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 When Mike Madigan first became speaker of the Illinois House of
Representatives in 1983, Illinois was among a handful of states that enjoyed a
AAA credit rating. In 2013, Illinois was declared the least creditworthy state
in the nation. Now the state is just one notch above junk status.
Many things have changed in state government during the past 36 years. Madigan
has held constant. That will continue, as House members Jan. 9 re-elected the
speaker on a 72-44 vote, following the inauguration of the 101st General
Assembly. State Rep. Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, will retain his role as
House minority leader.
There was a wrinkle.
One House member, state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville, voted “present.”
It was the first time in Madigan’s more than three decades as speaker that a
freshman Democrat refused to cast this vote for him. Stava-Murray has been a
vocal critic of the speaker’s handling of sexual harassment allegations in his
party organization and his treatment of the #MeToo movement generally.
Her lone voice of dissent casts into relief the overwhelming, unique power
Madigan wields as speaker and as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
The power
Support for Madigan as House speaker, despite his 21 percent job approval rating
statewide, highlights the power he has accumulated through the speakership,
which has done nothing less than undermine democracy in Illinois.
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Through the House rules, which, like the
speakership, are voted on by Illinois lawmakers, Madigan wields the
power to:
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Assign committee chair positions and the
stipends that come with them
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Control who votes in committees
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Dictate when a bill will be called for a vote
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Control what bills make it to a vote
No other state legislative body in the nation
grants such broad powers to its House speaker. Republican leadership
expanded the power these rules granted legislative leaders in the
1990s, and Madigan has been more than happy to continue that trend
in the two decades since Democrats took back control of the House.
The House will likely vote on its rules for the 101st General
Assembly on Jan. 29.
But it’s not just the rules from which Madigan draws power. He is
also the only legislative leader in the nation to head a state
political party. As chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois,
Madigan simultaneously controls policy, politics and purse strings.
Stava-Murray will undoubtedly face consequences for her speaker
vote.
The fact that her stance is so costly is exactly why the House rules
vote – granting one man extraordinary power – is so important.
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