Burzynski Prepared to Conduct Impeachment Trial of Blagojevich

From the Office of State Senator Brad Burzynski

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Senator Brad Burzynski (R-Rochelle) said he and colleagues in the Illinois Senate are fully prepared to conduct the trail of Gov. Rod Blagojevich following the impeachment proceedings in the Illinois House.

"Conducting the Governor's impeachment trial is a duty I'll undertake with extreme seriousness," Sen. Burzynski said. "This is an unprecedented time, which makes it important that we act in an open and fair manner moving forward."

Sen. Burzynski emphasized that the House vote to impeach the Governor does not remove Gov. Blagojevich from office – that decision falls to the Senate, which is tentatively scheduled to begin its trial during the last week of January.

Given the wide scope and intricate detail of the allegations against Gov. Blagojevich, Sen. Burzynski said it will be important to be thorough during this trial so the people of Illinois know the depth and magnitude these charges run. From combining campaign contributions and official state business, to illegally expanding healthcare without authority and up to the allegation of trying to sell President-Elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, Sen. Burzynski said the Senate has a lot of ground to cover.

With the various allegations that have come to light surrounding the Governor, Sen. Burzynski said it underscored the need for greater transparency in Illinois government.

"While we have to deal with the problems before us today, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't also look at the types of practices that put us in this situation," Sen. Burzynski said. "The days of secret budget bargaining, insider deals and pay-to-play needs to end. Moving forward, we need to recognize that this is the beginning of changing unethical practices in state government."

An overview and detailed explanation of the impeachment process can be found at http://www.impeachment.senategop.net/