Springfield, Ill. – Following Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s Tuesday arrest on federal corruption charges, state lawmakers will return to Springfield next week to consider plans to remove the governor from office, as well as legislation that would strip Blagojevich’s power to fill Illinois’ vacant U.S. Senate seat.

Lawmakers at the state and federal level, Illinois’ constitutional officers, and President-elect Barack Obama have called for Gov. Blagojevich to step down. However, as of week’s end, the governor had not yet resigned, despite being arrested Tuesday for conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as solicitation of bribery.

Springfield, Ill. – The outgoing Senate President used a legislative maneuver to guarantee that lawmakers won’t have an opportunity to override approximately $55 million allocated for historic sites, health facilities, and other state programs.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich partially vetoed $55 million from Senate Bill 1103 on November 20, a measure which initially contained $231 million to keep a variety of state programs and facilities open and operating. As a result, 12 historic sites were forced to indefinitely close, numerous health and human services programs have seen funding slashed, and 85 workers have been laid off.