State ethics law could die: A.G. Madigan

Greg Hinz:

At a Chicago press conference, state Attorney General Lisa Madigan called on Senate President Emil Jones Jr. to reverse course and call the Senate back into session within the next few days, rather than waiting until after the November elections, as Mr. Jones has said he’s inclined to do.

Waiting quite likely will invite a lawsuit over whether the legislation has been unduly delayed, Ms. Madigan said, and the courts could reject any bill as improperly approved.

“There is a risk of that,” said Ms. Madigan, flanked by a bipartisan gathering of Democratic and Republican political leaders. The only way to avoid that risk is for the Senate to meet soon, she added. “The (proposed) law is in jeopardy and we know why.”

At issue is a legal question that never has been resolved: How long does the Senate have to act on the bill in the wake of a decision by the House to override an amendatory veto by Gov. Rod Blagojevich?

The House overwhelmingly overrode the veto last week. Under law, the Senate has 15 days to respond, but it’s uncertain when that clock begins ticking. Some Springfield insiders say the clock began last week, but Mr. Jones says it won’t start until November, when the House action is officially read into the Senate’s record of proceedings.

They should also call into question whether or not the governor has abused his powers of the amendatory veto. I know that's not the point of this article, but the question has to be asked. Oh and another thing of note, this is a good example of how the outgoing Senate President proving himself a good ally of the governor.