Sangamon Sun

State Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) is hoping a new University of Illinois at Chicago study pinpointing the millions the state's taxpayers are forced to pay in annual corruption costs will spur the change he’s convinced is desperately needed.

“The first thing it says is that (embattled House Speaker) Mike Madigan has to go,” McClure told the Sangamon Sun. “Beyond that, I’ve long said if you’ve been indicted and are facing charges, you shouldn’t be able to continue serving in the General Assembly while the case is still ongoing. You’re compromised in that situation and the question of if you can still put the people first is too much in the air.”

In the UIC study, researchers placed the annual corruption tag in the neighborhood of $556 million. Researchers also noted Illinois ranks as the second-most corrupt state in the country (behind Louisiana) and Chicago is the most corrupt city in the U.S., all of which goes a long way in crippling the state’s chances for economic growth.

Over the last two decades, researchers also found the state’s corruption price-tag easily tops $10 billion, or around $830 per resident.

This year alone, at least four state lawmakers have been indicted on corruption charges, adding to the state’s long and sordid political history that includes four governors having been sentenced to prison over the last five decades. Presently, Madigan finds himself cast as a central figure in the ongoing federal probe involving utility giant ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme.

“The ethics reform that’s needed has to be bipartisan,” McClure added. “Every lawmaker in Springfield has to be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good of Illinois.”

McClure has long argued he doesn’t feel the level of reforms that are needed can be attained as long as Madigan remains at the helm.

“Mike Madigan has long been a major part of the problem,” he said. “There’s no way we can now trust him to be part of any real solution.”