Rule-Breaking in Springfield To Fund Obama Museum?

John Gregory -- Illinois Radio Network

Illinois House Republicans say Democrats broke the rules while passing a bill on the Obama presidential library out of committee.

No vote was expected in Thursday’s House Executive Committee hearing, but vote the committee did, passing it 9 votes to 0. But only five members of the committee were present, all Democrats. State Rep. Ed Sullivan (R-Mundelein) was recorded as a yes vote, because the committee used the attendance record from its meeting the day before.

“Because this was a subject matter-only (hearing), and we knew there was going to be no votes, there (were) no Republicans,” Sullivan said. “Life happens, you know, there’s people that have to do work on their other jobs. These were all of a sudden thrown together committees that were not previously scheduled.”

But the hearing had been on the schedule for three weeks, and several Republicans, including Sullivan, were at the committee’s hearing on gambling legislation on Wednesday at the same location.

Sullivan is calling on the bill’s sponsor, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), the table the legislation.