Weekly Update | July 18, 2020
Speaker Michael Madigan Implicated in Corruption Investigation
Today, the Chicago Sun-Times  reported  that “Federal prosecutors implicated Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on Friday in a brazen, Chicago-style bribery scheme involving ComEd that allegedly went on for years and involved payments to Madigan associates exceeding $1.3 million.” 
 
The Chicago Sun-Times also  reported  that “Federal prosecutors have made a series of requests to the Cook County assessor’s office over the past five months for records regarding the $330,000 property tax break that Gov. J.B. Pritzker got on a Gold Coast mansion — a break he got in part because the toilets were disconnected during a stalled remodeling job.”

Illinoisans are sadly no strangers to corruption in our state’s politics, but simultaneous federal criminal investigations into both the Speaker of the House and the Governor are truly unprecedented. Today’s developments in the ongoing bribery investigation against Speaker Madigan and the property tax fraud investigation against Governor Pritzker are disturbing. I fully support U.S. Attorney John Lausch and other federal officials in their important work to bring those who violate the public’s trust to justice. The people of Illinois deserve better than Illinois Democrats’ embarrassing, systemic corruption.
Non-Partisan Group Ranks Rodney Davis Most Bipartisan Illinois Congressman, Top 3% Nationwide
The Lugar Center & Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy’s Bipartisan Index has ranked me as the most bipartisan member of Congress from Illinois and the in the top 3% of bipartisan members of Congress nationwide . For the first half of the 116 th  Congress, the Bipartisan Index rated me as the 13 th  most bipartisan member of Congress, out of 437 members (includes non-voting delegates from Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico).
 
Making Washington work for the people of Illinois has always been my top priority, and I have a record of working with Democrats and Republicans to get the job done. This Congress, I’ve teamed up with Democrats and Republicans on legislation to ensure access to health care for out-of-work Americans, protect nurses from being furloughed, investigate our nation’s response to COVID-19, and more. I’m proud of my bipartisan record and will continue to work with lawmakers of any party to move our country forward.

You can learn more about the Bipartisan Index and some of the bipartisan legislation I have sponsored here .
C onstituent Service Spotlight
Helping Constituents Cut Through Red Tape in Taylorville
“Rodney, you are doing a fantastic job. I am more than happy with the help I received from your staff. Philip did a terrific job keeping me informed as things progressed and reaching out to the necessary departments of the SBA. I wouldn't have been able to do this on my own.”
 
-John, Taylorville, IL
More Important Updates
Additional Relief Needed for Local Child Care Providers
Many families I represent can only return to work if they have access to affordable child care. The unfortunate reality is that state and local government mandates geared towards mitigating the spread of COVID-19 have decimated child care providers.
That’s why we need to do everything we can to make sure child care providers can stay afloat, otherwise our economy will be permanently held back and families can’t return to work. I will continue to urge Congressional leaders to make federal funding for local child care providers a top priority as we consider additional COVID-19 relief legislation.

Read my letter to Congressional leaders on the need for relief for local child care providers here .
International Students Deserve to Live, Study and Work in Their University Towns
Earlier this week, I joined university officials from central and southwestern Illinois in supporting the Trump administration's decision to rescind guidance issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) that threatened the legal status of tens of thousands of international students studying at Illinois colleges and universities.

Thousands of international students travel from across the world to central and southwestern Illinois every year to seek a world class education at the public and private universities in the 13th District. These hardworking students are the best and brightest from their countries, and they help our communities grow both culturally and economically. I’m glad the Trump administration made the right decision and rescinded this guidance because universities should have as much flexibility as possible in determining how their students receive instruction in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. International students deserve to stay in their university towns if they choose, regardless of how they receive their class instruction, whether that’s online or in-person.

You can read our letter and statements from regional university officials here .
Our Office is Coming To These Towns Next Week
Our office will be visiting additional towns during the last week of July as well, so stay tuned for more information.