Durkin Begins Work As Illinois House GOP Leader

State Rep. Jim Durkin is officially beginning his tenure as Republican leader in the Illinois House.  
The Western Springs lawmaker was elected to the post last month but officially takes the reins Monday.  
His predecessor, state Rep. Tom Cross of Oswego, stepped down to run for state treasurer. Cross held the position for a decade.  
Durkin has served as a Cook County assistant state's attorney and assistant Illinois attorney general. He was first elected to the House in 1994 and served until 2002. He made an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate and was re-elected to the House in 2006.  
Durkin says he's anxious to get to work. He says he wants to focus on bringing fiscal stability back to Illinois and ending government corruption.