Associated Press - February 17, 2010 5:04 PM ET
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois Senate President says he will not have any more private meetings of his chamber.
Democrat John Cullerton of Chicago defended a closed meeting Wednesday in which both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate heard a presentation from national researchers about the recession's effect on state budgets.
He says he wanted to foster camaraderie and allow lawmakers to ask questions without feeling the pressure of public scrutiny.
But open-government advocates questioned access to the meeting. The Constitution requires "sessions" of the General Assembly and its committees and commissions to be open.
Cullerton disagrees with public-access lawyer Don Craven that the meeting was illegal. David Morrison of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform says he doubts there was anything said that couldn't have been said publicly.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
