Illinois' own Sen. Dick Durbin has been vocal about the need to implement procedural reform in the U.S. Senate. In February, he endorsed a proposal
creating a four-step process that would allow a filibuster to be broken
eventually by a simple majority vote. And at a Senate Rules Committee
hearing in Washington earlier this week, Durbin testified that the body's
current rules provide an incentive for the minority party to obstruct
even the most uncontroversial votes. "We've got to find a reasonable
way to respect the minority but to stop what I think is clearly a
destined gridlock for this great institution," he said.
If Alexi Giannoulias is elected to the U.S. Senate in November, Durbin
will gain an ally on this issue. At a voter forum in Rogers Park
earlier this week, the state treasurer spoke admiringly about some
proposed changes to the way the upper chamber does business. NBC 5's
the Ward Room was on hand:
“There are some proposals out there to do it in a smarter way,”
Giannoulias continued. “Maybe decrease the number of senators it takes
[to break] a filibuster, maybe make it sort of a graduated scale as
days pass, that number decreases. I agree with you the process has
become a complete mess, which is why we need some fresh leadership in
the U.S. Senate.”
