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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.
And that will continue, as House members this week elected Madigan to his 18th
term as 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, however.
 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 highlights the overwhelming, unique power Madigan
wields as speaker and as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
Madigan holds a 21 percent job approval rating statewide, according to Southern
Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. Yet he is
re-elected to the speakership every two years due to the pain he can inflict on
dissenters. How?
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What truly gives the speakership so much power is
another vote in the House – the vote for the rules of the chamber.
Through the House rules, Madigan can assign committee chair
positions and the $10,000 stipends that come with them, control who
votes in committees, dictate when a bill will be called for a vote,
and even control what bills make it to a vote in the first place.
No other state legislative body in the nation
grants such broad powers to its House speaker.
It should be noted that Republican leadership expanded the power
these rules granted legislative leaders in the 1990s. But Madigan
has been happy to further expand and cement them 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.
Voting “present” for speaker will likely cost you the ability to
have your bills see the light of day. But it also puts you squarely
in the crosshairs for a well-funded primary opponent.
Of course, 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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