REPRESENTATIVE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL LISA MADIGAN’S CAMPAIGN TO SPEAK AT SEPTEMBER 14^TH MEETING

Lisa Madigan Made History By Becoming Illinois’ First Female Attorney General. She Is The State’s 41^st Attorney General.

We are pleased to announce that a representative from Lisa Madigan’s campaign will speak at the September 14^th meeting of the DuPage Democratic Club. As customary, our meeting will be held at the Lombard Community Building, 433 E. St. Charles Road, Lombard. Members and guests are invited to arrive at 7:30 PM for a brief social period followed by the start of our formal meeting at 8 PM.

Madigan, the state’s chief legal officer, advocates for the people of Illinois and for the state.  Since being sworn into office in January 2003, she has worked to pass a lifetime supervision law to keep dangerous sexual predators away from women and children, led efforts to restore integrity to Illinois gaming, secured passage of laws to help stop the spread of met amphetamine and protected consumers from fraudulent practices.

In December 2003, Madigan created a statewide team of law enforcement agencies to focus on improving the state’s Sex Offender Registry, which is administered by the Illinois State Police (ISP).  Leading this team, Madigan has worked with law enforcement across the state to crack down on sex offenders who fail to register and helped secure passage of legislation to improve the registry.   

Together with law enforcement, Attorney General Madigan has made it a top priority to help stop the spread of the destructive and highly addictive drug, met amphetamine.  She has passed legislation to crack down on meth makers who endanger children, passed legislation to cut off criminals’ access to the ingredients to make the drug and most recently passed legislation that brings Illinois in line with its border states in requiring people to sign a log and show ID when purchasing medicines with pseudoephedrine (PSE) and ephedrine – the main ingredients needed to make meth.

Madigan also has provided training for local prosecutors to better prosecute meth crimes and has provided prosecutorial assistance to State’s Attorneys handling difficult meth cases that cross through many jurisdictions.

Madigan is the state’s chief consumer advocate.  Her efforts to protect consumers, especially seniors who often are the target of fraud, include educating consumers about emerging scams, mediating consumer complaints and filing lawsuits to stop fraudulent practices and recover money on behalf of Illinois consumers.

Madigan, who recently received the “Sunshine Award” from the Society of Professional Journalists, has worked to make government more open and accessible to the public.  In December 2004, she created the position of Public Access Counselor (PAC) to take an aggressive role in ensuring that public bodies conduct their business openly and that the public has access to governmental information.

Prior to her election as Attorney General, Madigan served as a State Senator and was a litigator at a Chicago law firm.  Before becoming an attorney, she worked as a teacher and community advocate on Chicago’s west side, helping prevent children from becoming involved in gangs and drugs.  After graduating from college, Madigan traveled to South Africa, where she was a volunteer high school teacher in apartheid-era South Africa.

Madigan received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and her J.D. from Loyola University Law School.  She and her husband, Pat Byrnes, have a daughter.

All DuPage Democratic Club meetings are open to the general public. We welcome and encourage attendance by individuals of all political views and affiliations.  

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