Grundy Reporter

In his latest edition of “Springfield in 90 Seconds,” State Rep. Jed Davis (R-Newark) drew attention to what he says are bizarre laws in the state while claiming ethics reform and other important areas are being ignored.

The episode marks the sixth edition of the short Facebook video series. Davis, a freshman legislator, launched the videos to notify his constituents and others about how he says Springfield operates.

“Welcome to Springfield in 90 seconds. Week six. I am Jed Davis, your state rep and we're missing the target in Springfield. Here's what I mean. We're allowing non-citizens to become police officers. We are attacking gas stoves with the goal to ban them altogether. Trying to make it illegal to declaw your cat. Petting a bear? No, no, no! No petting bears in Illinois,” Davis said. “Prostate exams for women? Let's ensure that you ladies have access to those. We're removing all the pronouns from previous acts like 'he' and 'she' in previous laws. No. They don't exist. Restricting your right to challenge unconstitutional laws or targeting pregnancy information centers with the goal of putting them out of business. We're setting standards for gender-neutral bathrooms. And my favorite – when the rules are an inconvenience, we vote to ignore them."

David said there are more important things that are being neglected such as not helping seniors with property taxes. 

“We're not helping consumers with hospital pricing transparency, and we're ignoring 104 separate pieces of legislation that deal with ethics reform. Springfield is upside down," Davis said. "Together with the right strategies, we can make the right side of Springfield in 90 seconds. Thank you.” 

Ethics reform is an issue for Republicans. Davis’ comments come as former House Speaker Michael Madigan prepares to go to trial in April 2024. Madigan has been charged with 23 counts of public corruption in relation to the ComEd bribery scandal and a separate incident with AT&T. 

Madigan shaped public policy in the state as house speaker for 36 years. During that time the only legislation that made it to the House floor came directly through his office. 

The 81-year-old Madigan was in power as House Speaker from 1983 to 1995 and then from 1997 to 2021. He was an Illinois House member from 1971 to 2021 before stepping down amid scandal. Despite being under investigation, Madigan reportedly took part in the 2022 election campaign and is still holding onto one elected position as 13th Ward Democratic committeeman, a position he has held since age 27. 

Madigan has transferred the last $10 million from his campaign budget to his defense fund, according to Prairie State Wire.

The focus on ethics reform comes as former state senator Tom Cullerton was spotted working in Springfield as a lobbyist after serving jail time for taking a “no show” job from the Teamsters while he was serving in the General Assembly, DuPage Policy Journal reported.

Davis won the election in 2022 after beating incumbent David Welter in the Republican primary. Welter had held the 75th House District seat since his appointment in 2016.