>> BRANDIS BACK TO YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> ARE YOU TIRED OF POLITICS AS

USUAL?

A PAIR OF LAWMAKERS SAY THERE IS

A WAY TO KEEP OFFICIALS ON THEIR

TOES.

ALLOWING VOTERS TO RECALL THEM.

AMANDA VINICKY JOINS US NOW TO

EXPLAIN.

>> ILLINOIS ACTUALLY ALREADY

DOES HAVE THE ABILITY TO RECALL

AT LEAST ONE ELECTED OFFICIAL

MIDTERM AND THAT OF ILLINOIS

GOVERNOR.

VOTERS IN 2010 APPROVED AN

AMENDMENT TO THE STATE

CONSTITUTION THAT GIVES THE

PATHWAY TO RECALL A SITTING

GOVERNOR IT WAS AT THE URGING OF

PAT QUINN WHO HAD TAKEN OVER

AFTER ROD BLAGOJEVICH WAS

ARRESTED AND IMPEACHED AND

REMOVED FROM OFFICE.

JASON BARICKMAN SAYS THAT RECALL

PROVISION IS TOOTHLESS.

>> IT IS IN NAME ONLY.

NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO USE ITS

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO USE.

WE'RE PROPOSING TO CHANGE THAT

AND AGAIN, THE EQUIPPED CITIZENS

WITH THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO HOLD

PUBLIC OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE.

>> THE RECALL PROCESS ILLINOIS

IS COMPLICATED IT REQUIRES A

SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF ILLINOIS'

ELECTORATE TO SIGN ON AND VOTERS

MUST HAVE A PERMISSION SLIP THAT

HAS TO BE SIGNED OFF ON BY A

BIPARTISAN GROUP OF SITTING

STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND

SENATORS.

NOW, SENATOR JASON BARICKMAN AND

REPRESENTATIVE MARK BATINICK OF

PLAINFIELD REPUBLICANS SAY THEY

WANT TO MAKE IT EASIER AND WANT

TO CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION TO

ALLOW FOR ALL OTHER STATE-WIDE

ELECTED OFFICIALS TO BE RECALLED

AS WELL AS ALL STATE LEGISLATORS

AND LOCAL OFFICIALS.

MARK BATINICK SAYS HE CAN THINK

OF SITUATIONS AT EVERY LEVEL OF

GOVERNMENT WHERE THERE'S

CORRUPTION BUT WHAT IS GOING ON

NOW WITH HOUSE SPEAKER MICHAEL

MADIGAN IS MOST SALIENT.

>> THE POLITICIANS NEED TO START

LOOK OVER THEIR SHOULDER AND

WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEBODY LIKE THE

SPEAKER WHO IS NOT ACCOUNTABLE

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE AND

HE HAS A LOT OF CONTROL OVER I

THINK THAT IS A PROBLEM.

THIS RECALL PROCESS AT LEAST

GIVES THE VOTERS AND THE

CITIZENS OF ILLINOIS A TOOL TO

CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF STATE

GOVERNMENT WHEN IT'S CONTROLLED

BY SOMETHING LIKE SPEAKER

MADIGAN WHETHER IT BE NOW OR IN

THE FUTURE.

>> WE KNOW THE BROAD PARAMETERS

OF THE PROCESS THEY WANT TO MOVE

TO BUT IT IS UNCLEAR HOW IT

WOULD WORK.

WHETHER IT IS LEGAL AND IT'S

UNLIKELY IT'S EVER GOING TO GET

TO THAT POINT.

LAWMAKERS ARE NOTORIOUSLY

RETICENT TO PASS ANY MEASURE TO

COULD IMPERIL THEIR OWN

POLITICAL FUTURES.

AND ILLINOIS' GUBERNATORIAL

RECALL PETITION WAS DESIGNED TO

BE STRICT AND NARROW SO IT WOULD

NOT BE TOO EASY TO THROW

GOVERNMENT INTO UPHEAVAL OR

PROVIDE ENTICE.

FOR OFFICIAL TOSCOER WITH TO

PUBLIC OPINION DURING HARD TIMES

LIKE NOW.

WHILE THERE ARE THOSE WHO

BELIEVE THAT GOVERNOR J.B.

PRITZKER HAS DONE A COMMENDABLE

JOB NAVIGATING ILLINOIS THROUGH

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC OTHERS

ARE FURIOUS ABOUT THE HEAVY HAND

THAT HE HAS TAKEN AND THE

RESTRICTIONS HE HAS IMPOSED.

A REPORTER ASKED A QUESTION OF

ONE OF PRITZKER'S DAILY

CORONAVIRUS BRIEFINGS ABOUT

WHETHER HIS JOB IS IN JEOPARDY.

>> YOU RECENTLY TALKED ABOUT

MIDWEST GOVERNORS AND NOW THE

GOVERNOR OF OHIO IS FACING

POSSIBLE IMPEACHMENT IN ORDERS

TO YOURS HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO

BEING IMPEACHED?

IS THAT A REAL QUESTION.

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THAT.

LOOK, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A STRONG

APPROVAL RATING IN THE STATE.

I THINK I'VE DONE A GOOD JOB.

I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO RUN

AROUND EVERYDAY TRYING TO FILE

LAWSUITS OF THE SNAKE OIL

SALESMAN THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT

BEFORE.

AND TRYING TO GIN UP OPPOSITION

TO OUR EFFORT TO FIGHT COVID-19.

AND ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT WE'RE

DOING THE RIGHT THING.

THE COURTS AFFIRMED THE THINGS

WE'RE DOING.

>> MARK BATINICK AND JASON

BARICKMAN SAY THEIR PLAN IS

DESIGNED TO RECALL WOULD BE

POSSIBLE BUT HARD TO DO.

SO IT WOULDN'T BE TRIGGERED BY

ANYTHING TRIVIAL THERE HAS TO BE

REAL ABUSE.

I DID REACH OUT TO SPEAKER

MADIGAN'S SPOKESPERSON AND HE

SAID HAVING NOT SEEN THE

PROPOSED LANGUAGE HE CANNOT

COMMENT ON THE RECALL PLAN.

IN THE PAST MADIGAN HAS BEEN

DISDAINFUL OF A RELATED EFFORT

THAT IS FORMER GOVERNOR RAUNER'S

PLAN TO INSTITUTE TERM LIMITS ON

LEGISLATORS.

MADIGAN SAID THAT TERM LIMITS