Page 13 - November 2019 FOP

Speculation is rife over Arroyo’s corruption charge
The start of the legislature’s fall veto session was like none we have ever seen.
One might expect policy issues to be front and center; instead, the on- going federal corruption investigation was the main focus.
While there is much discussion about revising the statute regarding a Chicago casino, there is still not a clear path to success on any revisions. We
should know before Thanksgiving how that may work out. Other big issues that may be addressed in this session are modifications to the new recreational cannabis law. As you know, recreational use of cannabis will be legal in Illi- nois as of Jan. 1, 2020. There is also a push to pass legislation to make the closure of the Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook
permanent via state statute.
But many of the conversations in the Capitol revolved
around the arrest and arraignment of Democratic State Rep-
resentative Luis Arroyo. His appearance in federal court took place on the morning of the first day of
the fall veto session.
He is being charged with attempting to bribe an
unnamed (as of this writing) state senator. While there has been speculation as to who that may be, out of fairness we will not print a name here, since no senator has been named in this charge yet. Wherever this corruption investigation might be headed, most believe
more information will be forthcoming.
Also at the beginning of the veto session, FOP President
Kevin Graham was the only person at O’Hare to greet Pres- ident Trump as he made his first visit to Chicago since be- coming president.
We are continuing to be involved in discussions about pensions, gaming revenue from the proposed Chicago casi- no and many other issues in Springfield.
DAVE SULLIVAN
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ NOVEMBER 2019 13