The Illinois House of Representatives voted last week to pass legislation co-sponsored by assistant minority leader, representative Keith Wheeler, R-Oswego, to impose a 10-year term limit on legislative leaders. The legislation is House Bill 642 and applies to the positions of speaker of the House, president of the Senate, and minority leader of both the House and Senate.
House Bill 642 advances to the State Senate for consideration where it is expected to pass. The bill was approved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 115-0-1, with only representative Will Davis (D-Hazel Crest) voting present.
“Passing this bill would have been impossible just a few short months ago, during Mike Madigan’s decades-long grip on power,” representative Wheeler said. “Now, finally, we are able to turn the page on a bipartisan basis and chart a new path forward together. No longer will power be concentrated in the same few people in Illinois for an unlimited period of time. This is one small, but important step to begin restoring public faith in State government and accountability to the legislative process.”
— Office of State representative Keith Wheeler