KANKAKEE – As the trial begins for former chief of staff to Michael Madigan, Tim Mapes, on charges he lied to a federal grand jury in a federal investigation of the former Speaker of the House, Assistant House Minority Leader Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) released the following statement:
“As we see another trial play out in Chicago for a person who was entrusted with the interests of the people of Illinois, we still have not seen significant changes to our ethics laws that have long permitted this culture of corruption in Springfield to thrive. Despite this embarrassing parade of legislators being indicted or imprisoned since 2019, we lag behind other states in enacting meaningful ethics reforms. We need transparent, open, and clear ethics reform that includes input and guidance from the public. This should be a bipartisan issue; Illinois’ reputation is not beyond saving.”