ICCTA - January 9, 2009 Action Alert

ICCTA Action Alert
January 9, 2009

House votes to impeach Gov. Blagojevich
Late this morning, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to approve House Resolution 1671, a resolution to impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich, by a vote of 114-1-1. The process will be forwarded to the Senate, where a trial must be conducted. The Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court will preside over the trial, which could begin soon after the 96th General Assembly is organized on January 14, 2009.

Prior to the vote on HR 1671, the House Impeachment Committee issued a 78-page final report listing the causes for impeachment that were considered during the House vote and will become the basis for the Senate trial. The Final Impeachment Report is a large document that could require several minutes to download; it is available for viewing here.

The Illinois Constitution provides that the 96th General Assembly seat its new members on January 14, 2009. Secretary of State Jesse White is required to preside over the House during the seating and swearing in of new members and the election of a Speaker of the House.

The Illinois Constitution further provides that Governor Rod Blagojevich is required to preside over the Senate and swear in the new Senate to the 96th General Assembly. The Governor is additionally required to preside over the election of a new Senate President. Once Governor Blagojevich has completed his role of presiding over the organization of the Senate, the Senate will begin the trial to determine the Governor’s Innocence or guilt. If the Senate finds the Governor to be guilty, he will be removed from office. 40 votes are required in the Senate to remove the Governor from office. There are 59 Senators.

Also, once both houses of the General Assembly are organized, the 96th General Assembly will begin to conduct business and new bills will begin to be filed. The House will begin by filing House Bill 1, and the Senate will begin by filing Senate Bill 1. The 96th General Assembly will conduct business for two years and will conclude its business on January 12, 2011.

ICCTA is preparing legislation to be introcued into the 96th General Assembly. These bills are designed to advance the issues of community colleges. Simultaneously, we will be monitoring the introduction of legislation that is unfavorable for community colleges. The Trustees Association will keep you informed of further developments as they occur.

* For additional legislative updates, call ICCTA at 1-800-454-2282 *

Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701-1711
217-528-2858 (phone)
217-528-8662 (fax)
ICCTA@communitycolleges.org (e-mail)
http://www.communitycolleges.org