Springfield, IL – State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) filed two bills this week in the new 104th General Assembly aimed at holding all elected officials accountable in Illinois. The legislation includes House Bill 1304 and House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4 and allows for the public to initiate proceedings resulting in recall elections of elected officials.
“These bills address a critical issue in our state – the lack of accountability of our officeholders,” stated Rep. Ugaste. “In extreme cases, it may be in the best interests of residents and taxpayers to have mechanisms in place to remove public officials. Local and state governments are currently being held hostage if officeholders refuse to step down when they act inappropriately, or when it becomes clear the vast majority of the public opposes their policies.”
House Bill 1304 provides for the recall of local elected officials upon the circulation of petitions and a vote of 60 percent to remove them from office. The recall election would take place during the next General Election or Consolidated Election, whichever comes first. HJRCA 4 would provide for a recall mechanism for all elected officials, including state officeholders. This includes the Senate President and Speaker of the House. State officeholders would only be able to be removed during a General Election.
“Illinois residents deserve accountability from their elected officials, some of whom hold massive power over the entire state but are only elected by a small fraction of residents,” Rep. Ugaste added. “The process to initiate these recalls is not easy, and with a 60 percent threshold and high signature requirement, that should remove political or partisanship concerns.”