Statue task force considers adding, removing state monuments Last year, then-House Speaker Michael Madigan called for the removal of Stephen Douglas' image from the Capitol grounds. Douglas, who served as Illinois' secretary of state, a state Supreme Court justice and as U.S. senator, was a slave owner. Jerry Nowicki/Capitol News Illinois
Updated 5/19/2021 4:33 PM SPRINGFIELD -- A state House task force continued its discussion about reevaluating controversial statues and whether new monuments commemorating minorities should be added to the state Capitol grounds. The hearing Wednesday is the second meeting of the bipartisan Statue and Monument Review Task Force, which was formed by Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, a Hillside Democrat, last month. The purpose of the task force is to conduct a review of monuments on state property and proposals for new monuments or statues.