I hope you’re enjoying the change of seasons and getting ready for the holidays. I just wrapped up two weeks in Springfield and wanted to fill you in on some things you may find interesting. I’ll fill you in on what I’ve been up to, the Madigan trial, the prison drug exposures, the ‘assault weapons ban,’ and more!
VETO SESSION
I joined my House Republicans in Springfield for veto session. This session is supposed to be the time for the legislature to vote to overturn any vetoes from the Governor, however he vetoed 0 bills this year.
I took this as an opportunity to bring some noise to some local issues that have been affecting my constituents, like the IDOC drug exposures and meals on wheels funding.
I also had an opportunity to welcome Colt Suedmeyer to Springfield as my Page for the Day! As Page for the Day, I showed Colt around my Springfield office, Leader Tony McCombie’s office, and got to be on the floor during legislative session.
Governor Pritzker and the Democratic supermajority decided to punt controversial legislative proposals to the January lame-duck session of the current General Assembly. I stand with my House Republican colleagues in opposing this lame-duck session. All lame-duck session will do is give out-of-touch Democrats more time to dream up legislation. I want to move into the 104th General Assembly and get to work to bring down prices of gas and groceries, protect your freedoms, and lower the tax burden.
AROUND THE DISTRICT
Supporting the school in St. Libory
Kaskaskia College KC Royale Winter Gala
Eversgerd Fort in Germantown
Holly’s House of Hope in Highland
Highland Veteran’s Day Parade
I purchased rabbits from the Bond County Youth Auction
MADIGAN
Mike McClain’s “magic lobbyist list” presented to jurors in Madigan criminal trial. McClain, a former close associate of Michael J. Madigan, is on trial with the former Illinois House Speaker in federal court in Chicago. Madigan and McClain have been charged with a variety of crimes relating to influence peddling. These charges include allegations that Madigan and McClain “clouted” their allies and associates into leadership positions in other key Illinois entities, such as Chicago-based electricity distributor ComEd. On Tuesday, November 19, former ComEd board member Juan Ochoa testified to the court about how, as a Madigan ally, he had won appointment to the governing board of ComEd.
In courtroom action on Monday, November 18, the jurors got to see printed emails from McClain’s home office, which had been raided by the FBI in May 2019. McClain, then a powerful lobbyist and Madigan insider, was actively searching for clients and his emails sold himself as a gatekeeper with ultimate access to Speaker Madigan.
“I don’t roam the [State Capitol] halls like I used to,” McClain admitted, but he claimed that his clout was as big as ever. As proof, the email contained a sealed list, which McClain referred to as a “magic lobbyist list” of influencers associated with McClain and Madigan. Acting as Madigan’s informal aide, McClain wrote down a claim that he had helped these “magic lobbyists” gain special entry into the Speaker’s office.
Once there, these lobbyists could help write the future laws of Illinois, and block bills that their clients did not like. The case being made by the federal prosecution in this trial includes allegations that these lobbyists included high-ranking representatives of ComEd, whose leadership had allegedly been drawn into the Madigan orbit. This orbit included associated control over Illinois electricity generation, distribution, and rates.
PRISON DRUG EXPOSURES
I will not stop demanding answers until we get to the bottom of this. I held a press conference and was joined by State Representatives David Friess and Bill Hauter to address the ongoing concerns on harmful substances entering IDOC facilities across Illinois.
We should be taking every step necessary to protect our prison workers and inmates. We’ve requested a hearing to address these concerns, and they’ve been ignored. Until we can figure out what’s going on, we should pause the physical mail process. Our constituents who work in these facilities are telling us that part of the problem is physical mail. Let’s have a hearing and figure out what is going on and how these substances are entering our prisons.
I’m calling on Acting Director Latoya Hughes to join me at any one of the facilities that have experienced these drug exposures. Together, her and I will go through the mail. If she is confident that the drugs are coming in elsewhere, she should have no problem doing this with me. At the very least, she owes it to the citizens of Illinois to provide some answers and solutions to this issue, preferably through a committee hearing. It’s imperative that this hearing takes place before Acting Director Hughes’ confirmation hearing.
At the end of the day, no matter how these drugs and substances are entering our facilities, we need answers and solutions. Why won’t Acting Director Hughes work with us to get to the bottom of this? All we want to do is keep our constituents safe.
‘ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN’ OVERTURNED
Atty. Gen. Raoul asks appellate court to stay federal ruling striking down firearms ban. The decision by federal District Judge Stephen McGlynn found that the so-called “Protect Illinois Communities Act,” a January 2023 law that purports to ban almost all private-sector possessions of certain groups of firearms and ammunition supplies in Illinois, is unconstitutional. The 168-page decision struck down the law in its entirety, citing various case judgements from the United State Supreme Court and other courts that draw broad boundaries around the “right to bear arms” enshrined in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
As with all federal district court decisions in Illinois, the decision can be appealed to the Seventh Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals, the Chicago-based federal appellate court. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, a Democrat, has filed an appeal. His appeal supports the law and opposes the judicial decision. As a move affiliated with the overall appeals process, the attorney general has also asked that the district court’s permanent injunction against the enforceability of the Protect Illinois Communities Act be stayed. If the appellate court grants the stay, the controversial law will remain in place, for now.
Criticisms of the new Illinois gun ban are widespread. I voted no on this bill when it came through the House last year, since the definitions of banned firearms and ammunitions supplies set forth in the new law are vague and potentially unenforceable. We have an explicit right to bear arms contained in the federal Bill of Rights, which outranks all State laws.
DOWN ON THE FARM
I had a new calf born this week on the farm!
Thank you for reading Meier Messenger! I’ll give you another update soon. I hope you can find peace and happiness as we gather with our families this holiday season.
If you need any assistance with a state agency, please call my office at 618-651-0405 and we will help however we can.
Charlie Meier, State Representative