Lisa Madigan

Madigan Promotes "Tolerance, Fundamental Equality" On Capitol Hill

Angela Caputo — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:07:40 -0800

Just one week after President Obama signed into law a measure that adds sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under hate crime statutes, gay rights advocates were back on Capitol Hill yesterday pushing for additional civil protections. Among them was Illinois' own Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who testified in favor of the recently reintroduced Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S. 1584), which would finally bar most workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

To the credit of state lawmakers, Illinois' own Human Rights Act was amended back in 2006 to include both sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under anti-discrimination laws. The fact that we are one of only 12 states to put such protections on the books underscores the need for a federal response, Madigan told the Senate's Education, Labor and Pension Committee. "Through the enactment of a statewide statute prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, Illinois has promoted tolerance, fundamental equality and the common humanity of all individuals in our state," Madigan said. "The benefits of such a message to the citizens of our state cannot be underestimated." Watch an excerpt from her testimony below:

Lisa Madigan: Put Consumers Before The Banks

Angela Caputo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:43:16 -0700

Yesterday we noted that Illinois' own Melissa Bean appears poised to introduce an amendment that would assist the banking industry by taking the teeth out of the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CPFA). As the lead negotiator for the New Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee, Bean is attempting to preempt states' authority to set and enforce stricter protections against the risky financial products that have made the financial services sector billions. That measure could come up for a committee vote as soon as Thursday. And Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is already pushing back, telling Bean and her fellow members of Congress that its time to "put the interests of our consumers before those of the banks." From a release:

“To truly protect consumers and ensure that the current economic crisis cannot happen again, the proposed federal agency must be able to coordinate enforcement efforts with state and local agencies,” said Madigan. “It is absolutely critical that states be allowed to continue to investigate abusive practices by major players in the financial services industry, regardless of whether these institutions have a state or national charter; and to enforce our state consumer protection laws against all lenders doing business within our borders.” [...]

“Large nationally chartered institutions share significant blame for this economic crisis,” Madigan said. “And yet, it is those same financial institutions that are fighting on Capitol Hill to prevent the passage of any significant reforms. That cannot happen. Therefore, I urge the members of the Illinois Congressional delegation to put the interests of our consumers before those of the banks that led us in part to this financial crisis.”

Madigan's staff at the state's Consumer Protection Division has seen firsthand the hardship that unreasonable lenders have created through sub-prime lending and arbitrary interest rate hikes, exorbitant penalties, and hidden fees. Bean would do well to listen.

Crain's Greg Hinz has more here.

Madigan, Feds Challenge Coal-Fire Polluters

Angela Caputo — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:04:32 -0700

Public health experts and environmental advocates have warned for years about the grave consequences of allowing Illinois' coal-fired power plants to operate without adequate pollution controls. To their delight, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and federal authorities made clear yesterday that they won't wait on Congress to adopt climate change laws that would finally force some of the Prairie State's oldest and largest polluters to retrofit their aging plants. On behalf of Madigan and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Justice Department filed suit in federal court against longtime polluter Midwest Generation LLC. The complaint alleges that the company is operating in violation of a provision of the Clean Air Act -- known as New Source Review -- that requires plants that have undergone major modifications to upgrade their pollution controls. The Tribune has the details:

The lawsuit cites the company's two plants in Chicago (in Pilsen and Little Village), two in Will County (in Joliet and Romeoville), one in Waukegan and one outside Peoria [...]

Under a deal with the Illinois EPA, company officials already have agreed to clean up or close the six coal plants by 2018. The federal lawsuit could force the company to upgrade or shutter its plants faster.

In a release, Madigan noted that she is “very concerned about the negative health effects that these aging plants have on the people who live in the communities where the Midwest Gen facilities are located.” That concern has long been echoed by health experts and environmental advocates, some of whom announced plans to sue Midwest Generation on similar grounds last month.

Illinois Sierra Club's director Jack Darin tells us that members of that coalition will now attempt to "intervene" in the federal case to uphold the provision of the Clean Air Act -- which, incidentally, the Bush administration attempted to do-away with. Here's what he had to say about yesterday's legal development:

We are very pleased to see the Obama administration and Lisa Madigan step up to defend the air we breathe, and expedite Illinois transition to a cleaner energy future.

These plants have avoided modern pollution controls for too long, and hopefully there will be cleaner air on the way very soon.

Live From The State Fair: Quinn, Giannoulias, And L. Madigan

Progress Illinois — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:58:12 -0700

At the Democratic County Chairmen's breakfast in Springfield this morning, we briefly caught up with three of the state's constitutional officers before they took off for the fairgrounds. Gov. Quinn offered up some folksy charm, saying that the Democrats in Illinois need to be "aggressive and progressive," adding that they represent the "party of hope" fighting against the "party of nope." Watch it:

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010, talked about the types of policies he plans to support in Washington, D.C. if elected:

And Attorney General Lisa Madigan discussed her recent lawsuit against Wells Fargo for discriminatory lending practices (apologies for all the background noise on this one):

It's Democrats Day at the fair and the speeches have begun. We hope to get you some video highlights later in the day and tomorrow. In the meantime, Melissa Hahn is live-tweeting, for those who are interested.

Madigan Backs Durbin's Consumer Financial Protection Proposal

Angela Caputo — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:52:44 -0700

While Attorney General Lisa Madigan may have decided against running for U.S. Senate, she is still doing her part to help the upper chamber's chief anti-usury advocate, Dick Durbin.

Yesterday, Madigan joined attorneys general from 23 other states in urging members of Congress to support Durbin's bill to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). This proposed body would be tasked with shielding American consumers from unscrupulous lending practices. Under the current regulatory system -- where bank regulators set loose rules that allow large financial institutions to circumvent stricter state laws -- attorneys general have been limited in their ability to crack down on predatory practices such as exborbitant interest loans and credit card fees (a problem Madigan discussed in testimony before the House this past spring). The CFPA would theoretically change that by giving local authorities the power to enforce more stringent regulations. In a letter to the House and Senate banking committees (which have been sitting on the legislation since July), the attorneys general explain the significance:

“[T]his legislation recognizes the key role that state Attorneys General serve in spotting new frauds and abuses, responding to citizen concerns, and enforcing state laws. The preservation of our role is critical to fighting fraud in the financial marketplace and a crucial factor in our support of this legislation."

In adding her support, Madigan joins Illinois consumer protection advocates who have been lobbying hard for the agency's creation. The attorney general explains her support for the agency in a statement:

“The current financial crisis has demonstrated the need for comprehensive and effective consumer protection oversight and enforcement at the federal level,” Madigan said. “The creation of an independent federal regulator is essential for helping to root out unfair and deceptive practices by the financial services industry."

Read the full letter below (click the button in the upper right-hand corner to expand):

Why Hasn't Quinn Signed The FOIA Law?

Angela Caputo — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:02:01 -0700

Six weeks after a rewrite of Illinois' open records law landed on Gov. Pat Quinn's desk, good government advocates are getting restless as an inexplicable gubernatorial "review" drags on. "Why is Quinn not signing it?" the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform's David Morrison asked during a phone interview earlier today. "We're not sure."

Regular readers know that getting revisions to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) through the legislature was no easy feat. In May, the effort to rewrite of some of the nation's worst FOIA laws -- spearheaded by Attorney General Lisa Madigan herself -- was nearly sabotaged due to some last minute political maneuvering in the General Assembly.

While the "compromise" bill (SB 189) that ultimately emerged from the statehouse was obviously watered down, it did include an important provision that gives the public access counselor more power over compliance.

Now, even after the bill passed the legislature, public officials organized under the Illinois Municipal League (IML) have unexpectedly revived their campaign against the reforms. And they've got some help in their effort to kill the bill. On July 1, the Illinois State's Attorneys Association (ISAA) penned a letter to Quinn urging him to reject the rewrite and defend the local state's attorney's jurisdiction to enforce FOIA infractions as "criminal" acts. They argue that the new rules would infringe on privacy, rack up unnecessary attorney's fees, and create a workload too large for the Attorney General's office to handle.

Considering how little the state's attorneys have done to pressure public officials to make good on records requests, the move has Madigan's office miffed. "In the five years that we've had a public access counselor, not once has a state's attorney stepped up and said 'I'm going to enforce compliance,'" chief of staff Cara Smith tells us.

In an editorial over the weekend, the Rockford Register Star also criticized ISAA's argument and asked point-blank: "Our question, counselors: Where have you been?"

Meanwhile, the IML has taken its opposition (PDF) to the next level by suggesting that access to public records should be restricted because such information is often sought as "a political tool ... to harass and harangue public officials."

In a new blog post, the Chicago Justice Project's Tracy Siska not only debunks the IML's weak arguments, but calls out the group for resorting to "hyperbolic language" and fearmongering. Siska also argues that Quinn should consider SB 189 as only the first step toward creating 21st century FOIA laws:

Municipalities must be motivated to reform the way they operate and store information. Innovation of our government systems will be driven by responsiveness to fresh and progressive open records laws not through rewarding municipalities for maintaining antiquated systems that allow them to foil public inspection of their operations.

The bottom line is that citizens are already at a major disadvantage when it comes to accessing public records -- a key component of holding elected officials accountable. Additional delays will only put the public at risk of losing more ground. As Smith points out, "It's time to put our money where our mouth is in terms of reform."

Madigan Targets Wells Fargo

Adam Doster — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:36:02 -0700

During her tenure as attorney general, Lisa Madigan has worked vigorously to protect Illinois residents abused by deceptive mortgage lending practices and "mortgage rescue" scams. Now she is taking on one of the nation's largest lenders, Wells Fargo, for allegedly discriminating against black and Latino homeowners:

Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed the lawsuit against Wells Fargo & Co. Friday in Cook County Circuit Court.

The suit alleges that Wells Fargo sold the minorities high-cost subprime mortgage loans while white borrowers with similar incomes received lower-cost loans.

For some background on this issue, look no further than the recent Chicago Reporter series on Wells Fargo that we've previously highlighted. According to their data, 49 percent of loans received by Chicago African-Americans in 2007 were low-cost subprime mortgages. They were not distributed just to low-income borrowers either -- 34 percent of black borrowers earning $120,000 or more in annual income received subprime mortgages that year. By comparison, only 22 percent of white borrowers earning less than $40,000 annually received similar loans.

This isn't just an Illinois issue, either. In Baltimore, city officials filed a federal lawsuit claiming Wells Fargo dragged hundreds of Baltimore residents into foreclosure and cost the city tens of millions of dollars in taxes and city services.

The AP reports that Madigan will ask the court to rescind the contracts and grant "full restitution" to the exploited consumers.

On WTTW, Madigan Defends Position On State Budget Crisis

Josh Kalven — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:38:31 -0700

During a one-on-one interview with Carol Marin on WTTW last night, Attorney General Lisa Madigan gave a classy explanation for why she opted not to run for higher office after "positioning" herself for a gubernatorial run in late 2008. Below are some relevant portions of the transcript (you can watch the full video here):

MADIGAN: It was very clear to me -- and I think most people in Illinois -- that, a year ago, somebody had to take on Rod Blagojevich. We couldn't continue to have somebody serving as our governor who was serving themselves as opposed to the people of the state. Obviously, things have changed. [...]

There was a motivation when you can sit there and see that the state is being run in a manner that is immoral and illegal. And not knowing what would happen when, I was in fact positioning myself to take on that challenge. [...]

If it was, right now, in my heart to run for governor, that's what I would have done. And obviously it would have been more of a battle. But Carol, you remember, when I first ran for attorney general in 2002 that was half the conversation, if not more. You know, "I couldn't possibly do my job as attorney general because my father was speaker of the House." I think I've proven over the years that I'm independent of him and I'm more than capable of being attorney general of our state. [...]

I went to law school to help people. I got that degree so I could work on seeking justice for people. And as attorney general, I have that opportunity everyday.

But when asked about her views on the state budget impasse, Madigan's response was far less logical:

MARIN: Why didn't you weigh in more [on the budget crisis] than you have?

MADIGAN: I have weighed in. In fact, I weighed in months and months and months ago -- both to the governor as well as to anyone in the media who asked me. And I've said the same thing since day one.

You'll remember that last year, Blagojevich cut my budget 25 percent. So the Office of the Attorney General last year had to go through and make significant and painful cuts. And we started by doing the smallest of things. And once we did everything there, we looked at what we would do in terms of personnel -- laid off 21 people, everyone took furlough days. We're now at a point where we're down 60 people from where we were last year.

What I've said is, before we can ask people in these tough economic times to sacrifice more for the state, the state has to make the cuts and show that they've done the hard work necessary to gain their support.

Madigan's point appears to be this: Her office managed to cut 25 percent of its budget last year, so other departments should be forced to do the same before asking the public to support a tax increase.

But here's my question for the attorney general: Is her office running more efficiently and effectively now that those 60 people are gone? Did they represent "bloat?" When she learned of the budget reduction last July, she called it "irresponsible" and told Crain's "We won’t be able to fulfill our constitutional, statutory or ethical obligations to the state ... We’ll have fewer resources to help people.” Does she now think those cuts were needed?

If not, doesn't that actually undermine the argument with the public over a tax increase? How can we ask them to fork over more of their hard-earned dollars for a government that does less? Doesn't seem particularly convincing to me.

WaPo: Madigan Staying Put As AG (Giannoulias Responds)

Josh Kalven — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:57:40 -0700

The Washington Post's Chris Cilizza has the scoop:

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) will run for re-election to her current post in 2010, according to a Democratic source aware of the decision, ending months of speculation about whether she might make the leap to a Senate or gubernatorial bid.

Madigan is expected to make her decision public later today.

Wow. Get ready for the floodgates to open on both the Senate and governor's races.

UPDATE (10:05 a.m.): Lynn Sweet confirms it. And Madigan's campaign operation just sent out a press release announcing a 2 p.m. press conference in downtown Chicago.

UPDATE II (11:00 a.m.): So with Madigan out of the Senate race, what does the Democratic primary field look like? Here are the four big names in the mix:

Roland Burris: While he and consultant Delmarie Cobb are giving every indication that they plan to go forward with a 2010 campaign, numerous polls this spring showed that his approval rating is in the dumps and a vast majority of Illinois Democrats don't want him to run.

Alexi Giannoulias: Currently the state treasurer, his exploratory committee has been running full bore for several months now, after raising an astounding $1.1 million in the first quarter. There has been an ongoing debate over whether he would stay in the race if Madigan opted in, but that's all moot now. Having run for statewide office in the past, he has solid name identification. A controversy surrounding the Bright Start college savings fund has been dogging him for months, but may soon reach a resolution.

Cheryle Jackson: The head of the Chicago Urban League and a former Blagojevich spokesperson, she announced last month that she was forming an exploratory committee for the race. If she's ultimately the only woman in the race, Jackson will be one to watch. And as Greg Hinz wrote back in February, "[p]robably the last thing embattled U.S. Sen. Roland Burris needs now is for another prominent African-American to make a move on his Senate seat."

Chris Kennedy: After stirring up a good deal of buzz in the Illinois political media in the spring, Kennedy has been laying low as of late (most likely waiting for Madigan to make her intentions known). Little is known about the Merchandise Mart Properties president's political views or his reasons for running. A poll cited by Lynn Sweet in May showed him with low name identification and indicated that his Kennedy roots neither help or hurt him in Illinois. A controversial business deal he orchestrated in Cleveland could become a campaign issue if he jumps in the race.

UPDATE III (2:50 p.m.): Giannoulias responds to the news:

"In my experiences working with Lisa Madigan and the Attorney General’s office, I know her to be a talented, dedicated, and principled public servant who has always put the interests of the state first. Her decision to seek re-election ensures that the people of Illinois will have a strong advocate on their side. Our offices have worked very well together in the past and I look forward to continuing that relationship as we both focus on helping Illinois families get through these extremely difficult economic times.”

Tallying Up Illinois' Leadership Deficit

Angela Caputo — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:28:47 -0700

If there's one thing that can be gleaned from the ongoing budget stalemate, it's that revenue isn't the only resource Illinois government is short on these days. Leadership is tough to come by as well.

At midnight, the clock runs out on the current fiscal year. What next year's budget will look like remains an unknown. Meanwhile, state officials continue to perpetuate confusion and fear among many of the state's most vulnerable citizens -- the elderly, disabled, foster children -- who still have no idea if the crucial services that they rely on will vanish tomorrow.

"We will not forget," Action Now's Denise Dixon said of the lack of leadership during a protest outside Chicago's Thompson Center this afternoon. "Today is the day. Today is the deadline. We need to see something come out of Springfield that works for us." Watch her speech:

It wasn't just those lawmakers who voted against an income tax increase in May that were the target of the crowd''s angst today. Statewide officers such as Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Comptroller Dan Hynes were also singled out for failing to spend any political capital stumping for an income tax increase, even though it's the only sustainable solution to Illinois' financial crisis.

"We need leadership now," Chicago Coalition for the Homeless' Ed Shurna told us at the rally. "We don't want elected officials who only look to us when they're running for office and there's no controversy. If they want our votes they need to prove that they'll take control in a crisis."