A top Illinois Democrat is stepping down after more than 30 years in the House of Representative to become a lobbyist. Lou Lang was until last year the number three Democrat in the House.
Lang has long worked on marijuana and gambling legislation and is becoming a lobbyist as those are expected to become top issues in the coming year.
“I’m around, I’m not going anywhere and any legislator that needs my help to make something happen that I’ve been working on, I’m more than happy to help them,” he said.
Lang says he’s still not sure what he’ll be working on as a lobbyist. The lobbying firm, Advantage Government Strategies, LLC, takes on a variety of issues and clients, he said.
Lang’s resignation comes several months after the former lawmaker was cleared of harassment allegations — though the charges had already led him to surrender his role as Deputy Majority Leader.
Lang said those accusations had nothing to do with him stepping down, rather he was “struck with the idea that there’s a lot of transition going on here in Springfield, and there would be nothing wrong to do my own transition.”
He said he pondered the idea for about two months, after Nancy Kimme, president of Advantage Government Strategies, LLC, approached him with the proposal to join her team.
“Nobody stays in one place forever,” Lang said.
Lang most notably helped Illinois become the 37th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment last year. Lang would not comment on what he thinks his legacy is state government is, but said he is satisfied with the work he’s done.
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