Three years after Illinois implemented the elimination of cash bail, the consequences of the state’s pretrial system are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Since the Pretrial Fairness Act took effect, defendants released into Illinois communities have been accused of committing violent crimes, while failures in electronic monitoring have raised serious questions about public safety and accountability.

State Rep. Mary Beth Canty went on WGN yesterday to talk about ethics reform. Instead, she spent the interview calling for reforms House Republicans have already introduced, while refusing to answer basic questions about whether she supports embattled Speaker Chris Welch.

According to Capitol Fax, State Representative Murri Briel has stepped down from Speaker Chris Welch’s Workplace Culture and Accountability Working Group, adding another setback to an initiative that was supposed to address workplace culture in the Illinois House but has instead turned into a publicity stunt that has only resulted in bad press.

Briel's departure comes amid allegations involving her conduct toward a former employee, including allegations that she supplied drugs in her campaign office and sexually harassed a former employee.

Speaker Welch created the Workplace Culture and Accountability Working Group in an attempt to save face, but the group is already falling apart before it even gets off the ground.

Two Democratic lawmakers whose names were floated for the group have declined to participate, while even Governor Pritzker has questioned whether a working group is the right approach.

After weeks of defending his handling of the Harry Benton scandal, Speaker Chris Welch is now attempting to rehabilitate his image with a desperate attempt at the creation of a new Workplace Culture and Accountability Working Group. Unfortunately, the group appears to be more about repairing the Speaker's political standing than repairing the culture of the Illinois House. 

In an effort to preserve his power, Speaker Chris Welch launched a media tour to defend his handling of the Harry Benton scandal. But with each interview, he offers a different explanation with more excuses. First it was due process. Then it was respecting the survivor's wishes. Now it’s reported that he just dismisses complaints that come into his office.

 

The excuses keep changing, but the outcome stayed the same: Speaker Welch covered up sexual harassment allegations. 

In 2019, after signing legislation to strengthen protections against workplace sexual harassment and support victims, Governor JB Pritzker declared that Illinois would no longer tolerate looking the other way.

At the bill signing, the Governor said:

"Sexual harassment is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the state of Illinois."

He also promised:

"...This commonsense law makes it clear that the days of turning a blind eye to sexual harassment in the workplace are over."

Seven years later, those words ring hollow.

When Speaker Welch first took the gavel, he promised a "new day" in the Illinois House following the downfall of his mentor and predecessor, Michael Madigan. Yet despite those promises of reform, it is becoming increasingly clear that they are ringing hollow.

Following the resignation of former State Representative Harry Benton, the Chicago Tribune is reporting a young female staffer came to Speaker Chris Welch's office in 2023 to report harassment allegations against Benton. According to the Tribune, the Speaker's office slow-walked the case and failed to reprimand former Rep. Benton. Another cover-up for Speaker Welch, following a playbook that is all too familiar.

In April of this year, when asked whether former State Representative Harry Benton should resign, Speaker Welch said, “We also have to talk about victims. We’re gonna respect victims.”

His remarks are a complete contradiction from his actions in 2023.

This morning, 11 members of the Illinois House Republican Caucus filed a petition to initiate a Special Investigating Committee concerning State Representative Carol Ammons.

The petition, submitted pursuant to House Rule 91, seeks to establish a Special Investigating Committee to review allegations of misconduct involving Rep. Ammons. Ammons was indicted earlier this week on multiple counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.

As House Democrats continue to face a growing list of ethics scandals involving members of their caucus, it is clear that this House Democratic Caucus continues to dissolve into disarray.

From allegations of corruption and misuse of taxpayer-funded programs to findings of unethical conduct by former members, House Democrats have failed to provide meaningful accountability while blocking ethics reforms that would hold public officials responsible.

In the span of just over a month, three members of a Champaign County family have been indicted on federal charges including pandemic/unemployment fraud, wire fraud, making a false statement and obstruction charges.

On July 7, the latest federal criminal indictments were filed, this time against Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, a former drug dealer, and his wife, State Representative Carol Ammons, who has served as Democrat State Representative of the 103rd District since 2015, on a series of criminal charges.

The latest indictments against Carol & Aaron Ammons include wire fraud, making a false statement to the FBI, and obstruction charges, as well as receiving alleged personal cash kickbacks.

As part of President Donald Trump’s pitch to the nation on affordability and a provision of Trump’s tax legislation, Trump Accounts are meant to give $1,000 to every newborn of parents who open an account. That money is then invested in the stock market by private firms, and the child can access the money when they turn 18. This new tool and benefit stands in addition to 529 savings plans, as another tool for long-term savings for children.

Rather than taking responsibility for the challenges facing Illinois, Governor Pritzker continues to point fingers and shift blame. Whether it's the state budget, affordability, immigration, or now the future of the Chicago Bears, the Governor's response is the same: blame someone else.

Earlier this week, Speaker Welch took a victory lap for the way House Democrats passed their end-of-session agenda, including the largest budget in Illinois history and $800 million in new tax hikes.

During a press conference, Speaker Welch praised Democrats' approach, stating:

"By using our processes and taking the time to listen and to get it right, we delivered finished products that were better than we could have ever imagined."

What Speaker Welch failed to mention was the lack of transparency, the suspension of House rules to take up bills quicker, and the fact that Illinois families will ultimately be left footing the bill.

Throughout the spring legislative session, Democrats repeatedly claimed affordability was their top priority for Illinois families. But when it came time to deliver, they did what Illinois families have come to expect: said one thing and did another.

Instead of providing relief to working families struggling with rising costs, House Democrats passed the largest budget in Illinois history, a $55.9 billion spending plan propped up by $800 million in new tax hikes.

After spending months promising to focus on affordability, Speaker Welch and House Democrats abandoned that pledge and instead passed $800 million in tax hikes as part of the largest budget in Illinois history.

During a City Club of Chicago event in January, Speaker Welch declared, "Everything is about affordability and that's going to be our focus." But Illinois families struggling with rising costs may find that hard to believe after Democrats approved a record-setting $55.9 billion state budget packed with new taxes, spending, and political giveaways.

In a recent podcast interview, Governor JB Pritzker said, “I hate the word affordability. I don’t think people really understand the concept.”

Illinois families understand affordability because they feel every day how unaffordable Governor Pritzker has made life in Illinois. They feel it when they open a property tax bill, pay a utility bill, or watch more of their paycheck disappear.

As the final week of session gets underway, House Democrats are spending valuable floor time this afternoon bringing Senator Dick Durbin to Springfield for a joint address instead of focusing on legislation that would actually help Illinois families.

Rather than working to address the affordability crisis Democrats have created, lawmakers will sit through a speech from a career Washington politician whose policies have failed working families across Illinois.

With New York becoming the second Democrat-led state to opt into the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program, Illinois should stop putting politics ahead of students and do the same. New York now joins 29 other states across the country that have embraced this opportunity to expand educational resources and support for families.