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House votes to cut Lt. Gov. post

The Illinois House has voted to eliminate the office of lieutenant governor.
Republican Representative David McSweeney of Barrington Hills says the office costs about two-million dollars a year.
"It's an office that is a luxury. I understand if we were sitting a pile of cash, if we had a triple-A bond rating, it would be a different story," says McSweeney.

Under the proposal, if something happened to the governor, the attorney general would be next in line.
The plan still has to get through the state Senate. And because it modifies the Illinois Constitution, it would also have to be approved by voters at next year's election.
The lieutenant governor has no formal duties under the Constitution. In the early '80s, one officeholder resigned, citing boredom with the job.
Current Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon says she's leaving at the end of her term, and is expected to run for another office.