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Special Election Bill Dead in IL Legislature
Illinois Senate Republicans hoping to remove U.S. Senator Roland Burris from his post in Washington were dealt a huge blow Thursday. A Senate ethics subcommittee voted 3-2 to keep Senate Bill 285 from moving to the house floor, which essentially kills it.

State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) says he's disappointed because a special election is what the people of Illinois want, and the "Blagojevich enablers" are still enabling him by condoning his final action.

State Senator Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago) says he's not opposed to a special election, but he wants to make it applicable to every public official, and not just Roland Burris. Hendon says he voted against the bill because there wasn't much bipartisanship on behalf of Republicans, and he saw the bill as targeting Roland Burris.

Hendon is the chief sponsor of a different special election bill, Senate Bill 1271. Hendon's bill, if passed, would mandate a special election be held for all vacated public offices, vacated more than six months before the next election, where the officeholder makes $21,000 a year or more.

(Illinois Radio Network)
03 05 09 by Newsroom
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