Is Tom Cross Considering State-Wide Office Run?

The House Minority Leader isn't confirming or denying reports he may return to his roots as a prosecutor.

State Rep. And House Minority Leader Tom Cross of Oswego may be considering a run for Illinois Attorney General. According to the Capitol Fax blog written by Rich Miller, Cross has been asked by State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka and Congressman Aaron Schock of Peoria to consider entering the race if the state’s current top prosecutor Lisa Madigan decides to run for Governor in 2014. Cross appeared on WJOL radio Tuesday and would not deny the possibility of entering the race. Cross previously worked for eight years as a prosecutor in the Kendall County State’s Attorney's office. The only other Republican to consider a run for Attorney General has been State Rep. Jim Durkin of Western Springs, according to Capitol Fax. Other well-known …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

Jax

4:43 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Im sick of the Madigans why can't they go to another state and screw it up...I don't understand how her and her father keep getting voted in...Because they sure don't listen to the people of Illinois..And If Tom Cross don't start showing he cares I won't vote for him either..   more ›

Illinois Pension Reform: How Did Your Representative Vote?

The Illinois House Thursday approved a controversial plan to eliminate the state's $100 billion pension debt; here's how DuPage County representatives voted.

Illinois Pension Reform: How Did Your Representative Vote?

The Illinois House Thursday approved a controversial plan to eliminate the state's $100 billion pension debt; here's how DuPage County representatives voted.

The Illinois Senate may soon vote on House Speaker Michael Madigan’s pension reform plan that passed the House Thursday. The bill passed by a vote of 62-51 and seeks to eliminate the state’s $100 billion retirement system debt. Illinois ranks dead last in the nation when it comes to funding its public pension plan, according to WBEZ. The bill asks state workers for less in future cost-of-living increases, an increase in the retirement age for workers under the age of 46 and asks for more money to be taken from state employee paychecks. The bill may have difficulty making it through the Senate where Senate Leader John Cullerton supports a different plan that gives workers the option of pay increases or government-funded health care in …

•  12 Comments
• Photos (1)

Jim K

11:24 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2013

No we can't continue to ignore the problem so why not pass something that will solve the problem and not make Pension funding the State's number one priority as this bill does? passing this will put pension payments first in line to bills to be paid ahead of all others including education funding (which, from what I hear teachers say, should be first because it's all about the kids). Have a look …   more ›

Durkin, GOP Reps Introduce Gang, School Violence Legislation

New bills call for stiffer sentencing for gang-related gun offenses, gang recruitment.

State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) joined with fellow Republican legislators Tuesday in introducing legislation aimed at keeping Illinois children and communities safe from violence. According to Cross’ website, the “Protect Our Children” intiative targets gang- and school-related violence. The intiative introduces four new bills. They are: “We cannot sit idle with the catastrophic gun violence occurring in the streets of Chicago on a daily basis. We know the enemy—the street gangs and members of the drug trade. We can no longer tolerate the loss of innocent children and law-abiding citizens. We are taking a harsh but necessary position with these bills to rid our neighborhoods of this …

• Photos (2)
• Videos (1)

GOP Candidates Talk Taxes in Plainfield

Republicans warn of “January surprise” if Gov. Pat Quinn pushes his pension cost shift plan through.

Republican candidates staged a press conference in Plainfield Thursday afternoon to voice their opposition to property tax increases and a plan by Gov. Pat Quinn to shift teacher pension costs to local school districts. State Sen. Republican Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and House Republican Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) joined candidates Garrett Peck and Bob Kalnicky at the Plainfield home of Vicki and Ernie Knight. In a press release, the candidates said Quinn’s proposal will mean higher local property taxes by shifting the state’s estimated $44 billion teachers pension burden onto school districts. “Everyone has begun to recognize — finally — that Illinois has the worst-funded pension retirement system in the country and a …

•  36 Comments
• Photos (2)

Ernie Knight

2:49 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Ron, The people that I care about already know the answer to your inquiry. Alas, you are not part of that group. By independent inquiry I suggest you investigate and you will likely discover all those things.   more ›

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear GOP Redistricting Challenge; Republicans React

Calling new state map unconstitutional, Illinois Republicans said Democrats redrew boundaries to benefit their party.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dashed Illinois Republicans’ hopes of having a Democratic-drawn state legislative maps thrown out. The high court refused to hear an appeal from Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and other Illinois GOP leaders. In a lawsuit filed in 2011 in federal court, Republicans challenged the legislative maps, saying new boundaries disfranchise minority groups and were gerrymandered in favor of Democrats. The political boundaries were redrawn based on 2010 U.S. Census data. On Tuesday, Radogno and State Rep. Tom Cross, R-Oswego, issued a joint statement calling the ruling unfortunate. “The court's ruling [Monday] is unfortunate and disappointing in light of the valid Voting Rights Act violations …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

Local Lawmakers React to Legislative Scholarship Ban

House Minority Leader Tom Cross and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno applauded Gov. Pat Quinn for signing off on legislation to abolish the controversial program.

Local lawmakers applauded Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday for signing off on legislation to abolish the state's scandal-ridden legislative scholarship program. The adoption of House Bill 3810 ends 100 years of legislators being able to award deserving or undeserving college students with annual scholarships to state universities, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The controversial program came under fire in recent years after legislators began misusing it, awarding scholarships to children of legislative employees and campaign donors instead of students in need of financial aid. “There is no place for political scholarships in Illinois,” Quinn told NBC Chicago. “I believe in the power of education, the importance of ethics and integrity…

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Illinois Supreme Court Rejects Republican Challenge to Legislative Maps

A complaint was filed by Rep. Tom Cross (R-Oswego) and Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) in February alleging the Democratic-drawn maps were unconstitutional.

Madigan Drops Plan to Shift Pension Costs to School Districts

Under pressure from Illinois Republicans and Gov. Pat Quinn, House Speaker Michael Madigan announced he's dropping his proposal to shift teacher pension costs to local school districts.

UPDATED: June 4, 5:50 a.m. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) on Wednesday dropped his controversial proposal to shift the costs of teacher pensions from the state to local school districts, universities and community colleges. The announcement came after two days of spirited debate in both the House and Senate. The General Assembly adjourned without passing any legislation for pension reform. Madigan's plan, which was part of Senate Bill 1673, was widely criticized by Republicans, and threatened to derail other legislation to address the state's massive pension shortfall. Madigan said he reached the decision after Gov. Pat Quinn asked him to drop the amendment, the Associated Press reports. “He agrees with the Republicans…

•  5 Comments
• Photos (1)

Reader Poll: Fake Pot—Should It Be Banned?

New state law makes both the possession and sale of synthetic marijuana a felony, punishable by as much as 30 years in prison with a $500,000 fine. What do you think?

Shop owners are raking in outlandish profits on synthetic marijuana, marking up the product as much as 500 percent, said Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow earlier this week. And that's why at least some merchants plan to continue carrying it despite a law that makes its sale a felony starting Jan. 1. During a Tuesday press conference at Shorewood Village Hall, Glasgow—joined by State Rep. Tom Cross, R-Oswego, Will County Executive Larry Walsh and a veritable army of Will County police chiefs—told of the reluctance to stop selling supposedly dangerous, and soon to be illegal, drugs. "They told him no, they're not pulling it off (the shelves) because the profit's too good," Glasgow said. "We're going to have to force them, by …

• Photos (1)