Rep. Connie Howard suddenly retires before her term expires

Rep. Connie Howard retires after her state grants were subpoenaed

Democratic Rep. Connie Howard stepped down from the Illinois House effective July 9. She cited "personal reasons" in a July 6 letter she sent to House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.

Howard, 69, who had held office since 1995, announced last year that she would not seek re-election.

The resignation came less than two weeks before authorities arrested seven people after an FBI sting in which they paid kickbacks in the hope of securing thousands of dollars in federal grants, according to federal charges. Howard could not be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday.

In recent years, prosecutors have issued multiple subpoenas centered on grants issued by several South Side and West Side lawmakers.

Two subpoenas issued in 2009 requested documents from the state relating to grants received by the Let's Talk, Let's Test Foundation, a now-defunct AIDS awareness group co-founded by Howard, who also served as the organization's board chairwoman.

The subpoenas went to the Illinois Department of Public Health, which had given the group a $1.2 million grant in 2007, and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which gave the foundation a separate $500,000 grant in 2007.

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