(WSIL) -- The announcement that State Rep. Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) would his campaign for house speaker surprised Southern Illinois lawmakers.
For 35 of the last 37 years, Madigan commanded the Illinois House floor. For the first time since 1995, a new name could hold the gavel in Springfield.
"It's a truly historic moment to see a person who's been in power that long to acknowledge that he does not have enough votes to become speaker," said State. Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis).
Madigan began his first term as Illinois House Speaker on January 12, 1983.
POSSIBLE DELAYS IN LEGISLATION
State Rep. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) says Democrats hope to vote on a speaker by noon on Wednesday. If they can't, Bryant says Republicans will get to 'weigh in' with a candidate of their own.
"I think [Democrats] don't want that to happen," Bryant said. "They're the supermajority. They want to pick the speaker and they don't want Republican interference
Illinois law requires a candidate to collect 60 votes from House lawmakers to claim the speaker's position. If a vote does not happen by Wednesday, the day the 102nd General Assembly is sworn in, the vote continues
Bryant says the wait will only delay debating legislation, such as the newly introduced reform .
IDVA HEAD STEPS DOWN
Hours after Madigan's announcement, the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs went through a change at the top.
In a release Monday afternoon, IDVA announced its director, former state representative Linda Chapa LaVia, had stepped down.
LaVia leaves a department that saw COVID-19 outbreaks at three different Illinois veterans' homes in 2020. The outbreaks resulted in the deaths of 72 people in Manteno, Quincy and .
State Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) says LaVia made the right decision to step down.
"It was a culmination that finally came to a head," Severin said in a phone interview to News 3. "We want to make sure [veterans] are taken care of."
Severin says while the move may not bring back the 72 veterans who died, it will bring more urgency to the concerns around veterans' homes.
"We know that the pandemic is real and we want to make sure they have every opportunity to live their lives," Severin said.
Maj. Gen. Peter Nezamis, a 34-year veteran of the Illinois , will lead the IDVA as its interim director. The state plans to name a new replacement following a nationwide search.
