no special election- rep. julie hamos

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Reflections on the Impeachment Inquiry

As you probably know, the IL House of Representatives has established a Special Investigative Committee to compile and examine evidence, then make a recommendation regarding the impeachment of Governor Rod Blagojevich. I am honored to have been selected as one of only 12 Democrats on the Committee, along with 9 Republicans.

This is a somber and challenging assignment. The day of the Governor’s arrest, I wrote a letter urging him to resign (to read the letter click here). I continue to believe that the Governor should avoid the pain of impeachment proceedings for himself, his family and the people of Illinois by resigning the office. The Illinois government cannot fully function until he does so, or the impeachment process is resolved. However, Gov. Blagojevich has not indicated that he will resign any time soon, and so we are left with no other choice than proceeding with an impeachment inquiry.

The Committee is in the process of reviewing all available evidence and hearing from witnesses. We will then file a report if we have recommendations on the "existence of cause for impeachment", then these Articles of Impeachment would have to be adopted by majority vote of the full House. This is a civil, legislative action and therefore our standard is not "beyond a reasonable doubt" as in a criminal prosecution. An impeachment trial would have to be conducted by the Senate.

It’s impossible to predict the timetable for this impeachment proceeding. This week we are reviewing the entire 76-page affidavit filed by an FBI agent with the criminal complaint. We are also hearing from witnesses and reviewing reports and audits related to the Governor’s abuses of official position, acts performed without legal authority and refusals to turn over information upon request.

We are mindful of the fact that we cannot interfere with the pending criminal actions launched by the U.S. Attorney. Ours is an extraordinary responsibility. Our work must be thorough and fair – creating a precedent that will survive the generations.
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The Next U.S. Senator

The legislature also held a special session this week to consider the selection of the next U.S. Senator to fill President-Elect Obama’s vacant seat. We did not take a vote to authorize a special election.

As in most states, our state law requires the Governor to appoint a U.S. Senator to complete the term if a vacancy occurs. However, any appointment by Governor Blagojevich has been tainted by allegations that he was considering selling or trading that appointment for personal gain. The U.S. Senate has declared that no one appointed by Governor Blagojevich will be seated. By leaving the current law in place, we are expecting that Lt. Governor Pat Quinn will make this appointment if and when he assumes the role of Governor.

I am disappointed that the legislature did not consider and pass legislation to conduct a special election. While there are some reasons to oppose a special election – primarily its cost – one real problem is that Illinois has just one Senator, at a critical time when President Obama will need a full complement in the U.S. Senate to support his plans. Most importantly, I believe that a special election would be the best way to restore the confidence of the public in the integrity of the process.

In the coming weeks I will continue to update you on developments in Springfield and my participation as events develop. Please feel free to contact me at [e-mail] if you have comments or questions.no spe