State Representative Ryan Spain was appointed by House Republican Leader Tony McCombie to serve as Minority Spokesperson of the Special Investigating Committee (SIC) formed in the wake of federal criminal indictments against Democrat State Representative Carol Ammons.
The Special Investigating Committee was created by petition of 11 members of the House Republican caucus pursuant to House Rule 91. The SIC is empowered to review allegations of misconduct involving Rep. Carol Ammons. Rep. Ammons was indicted in early July on multiple counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to the FBI. She has since refused to resign her seat in the Illinois House.
“We need to hold public officials to a much higher ethical standard,” said SIC Minority Spokesperson Spain. “I take seriously the committee’s role to investigate these charges and how Representative Ammons’ alleged misappropriations were intertwined with fraudulent delivery of services to taxpayers. She is accused of skirting grant accountability and transparency requirements and using other mechanisms of power for personal kickbacks and jobs, for herself and her family.”
The people of Illinois deserve elected officials who respect the public trust, follow the law, and are held accountable when serious allegations arise. When a sitting member of the General Assembly faces federal criminal charges, the institution has a responsibility to ensure a transparent and thorough review. The allegations against Rep. Ammons are serious. Petitioners say the allegations require a bipartisan, impartial review by the body in which Ammons serves.
The Special Investigative Committee process is allowed for in the Illinois House Rules. This process provides accountability by ensuring the Illinois House fully examines allegations of misconduct involving its members. If the SIC finds reasonable grounds to authorize a charge(s), a bipartisan disciplinary committee will be appointed to determine whether further action (up to, and including, expulsion) is warranted for consideration by the full House.
In addition to Deputy House Republican Leader Ryan Spain, Democrat Assistant Majority Leader Curtis J. Tarver II will chair the committee, along with Democrat caucus appointees, Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman and Rep. Lilian Jimenez. Joining Spain as Republican caucus appointees are Assistant Minority Leader Dan Ugaste and State Representative Adam Niemerg.
Next steps for the Special Investigating Committee will be the initial hearing on August 5 where the petition and formal charges will be entered into the record.