Kendall County Times

Veteran state Sen. and Congressional candidate Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) is looking to bring accountability to Springfield.

Oberweis is now rallying voters to sign his petition demanding that a series of anti-corruption bills be granted a public hearing before the full General Assembly.

“The political reality, unfortunately, is that the democrat majority in the House and Senate continues to refuse to take the kind of decisive action we need to put an end to the culture of corruption,” Oberweis told the Kendall County Times. “It says a lot about the state of affairs in Illinois when we need an anti-corruption petition in the first place. It should be a no-brainer for politicians to oppose the abuse of political power on display right now.”

Oberweis is pushing voters to sign a petition calling for the measures to be granted a public hearing before the full General Assembly. Among the proposals being touted is Senate Bill 4012, which would allow the attorney general the authority to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate, indict and prosecute bribery and misconduct by members of the legislature. Another measure, SB 4014, would pave the way for the legislative inspector general to be able investigate to members of the legislature without having to seek approval from the Legislative Ethics Commission.

Now running against U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Illinois) in the 14th Congressional District, Oberweis argues the steps are a long time coming and simply an attempt to give voters the level of representation they are deserving of and entitled to.

“This petition is an opportunity for voters to send a message to our state leaders that we demand better, more accountable government,” he said. “We have to take a stand against the corruption we see far too frequently in Illinois because if we do not nothing will be done.”

Currently, longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan finds himself at the center of an ongoing federal corruption probe involving ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme in which all the perks are reported to have been steered to him in exchange for favorable legislation.