Illinois’ Culture of Corruption in the Headlines
Democrat Ed Burke, Chicago’s longest-serving alderman, a longtime-ally of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and a towering figure in city politics, has been sentenced to prison time in the latest in a long history of high-profile corruption cases to rock Illinois.
Burke, who used his significant influence to steer business to his law firm in exchange for helping companies navigate the Chicago City Council, was convicted on 13 charges of bribery, racketeering, and extortion. He was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $2 million for leveraging his position to improperly influence business dealings for personal gain.
Senate Republicans cite this conviction as further evidence of the urgent need for tougher ethics reforms to hold politicians accountable and make it easier for law enforcement to investigate public corruption.
Senate Republicans have continued to fight the culture of corruption that has long tainted Illinois politics, pushing for greater accountability and transparency. Recent proposals from Republican lawmakers include stronger revolving door prohibitions, banning elected officials from working as paid lobbyists and campaign finance reforms.
IDOT’s Fiscal Year 2025-2030 Plan Released
IDOT’s newest Multi-Year Improvement Plan (MYP) is the largest in state history, investing $41.42 billion over the next six years in various projects touching every county in Illinois. Funding for the projects will come from a combination of federal, state, and local dollars.
This program is part of the ongoing Rebuild Illinois Program, designed to improve the state’s transportation infrastructure. The primary goal of this funding is to modernize Illinois roadways. In this annual update to the MYP, $29.65 billion is earmarked for roads and bridges, while the remaining $11.77 billion is allocated for public transit, freight, and passenger rail, as well as other projects.
That includes 279 projects within the 58th Senate District with an expected investment of more than $1.1 billion.
Information about the plan can be found on IDOT’s website.
Laws Taking Effect July 1
Several new laws are set to take effect on July 1, including measures allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain Illinois driver’s licenses, protections for the children of social media influencers, additional safeguards for independent contractors, and changes to school assessment tests.
Undocumented Immigrants Drivers’ Licenses
Public Act 103-0210 allows non-citizens to obtain standard driver’s licenses. This replaces a previous system in which they were allowed to obtain licenses that indicated they were not citizens. Now, they will be able to get the same licenses as Illinois citizens.
Underage Professional Vlogger Protections
Public Act 103-0556 seeks to protect children from exploitation by requiring influencers to set up a trust fund for their child if they earn income from their child’s likeness.
Regulation for District-Administered Assessment in Schools
Public Act 103-0393 requires school boards to hold a public vote before approving a new contract for district-administered assessments.
Freelance Worker Protections
Public Act 103-0417 creates the Freelance Worker Protection Act to create protections for independent contractors.
ISP Partners with Texas DPS to Enhance Child Protection Training
A new Illinois State Police (ISP) partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety trained officers to better protect at-risk Illinois children.
This joint venture allowed ISP officers to participate in the Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) training program. The goal of the IPC training is to help officers identify signs of child exploitation, victimization, and abduction.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), other law enforcement agencies and child advocacy groups also attended the training.
Illinoisans are encouraged to report any suspicious activities involving minors to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Additional resources can be found at www.humantraffickinghotline.org.
Return of Bryant’s Small Town Tour
State Senator Terri Bryant will once again be traveling the district to meet with constituents as part of her Small Town Tour. The first event will take place on July 23 in Murphysboro and the final event will occur on August 23 in Mount Vernon.
Sen. Bryant will be joined by State Representatives David Friess and Dave Severin throughout the tour. In total, Sen. Bryant will make 13 stops over 7 days.
