By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Wednesday’s Illinois House session began with an apology.

A debate about the Quincy veterans home — specifically, allowing damage awards of up to $2 million for survivors of Legionnaires’ disease victims who sue the state — included arguments from Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) that Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) didn’t like.

She said she would like for his family to die of Legionnaires’ disease.

“I did offer earlier and want to offer my sincere apologies to Rep. Breen, his family, and the House colleagues for a poor choice of words during a serious discussion on our veterans’ health and welfare and safety,” Kifowit said. “I would never wish any harm or mortality on anybody’s family. That includes the Breen family and anybody else’s.”

Kifowit said the thing to remember is that fourteen people died. She called her remarks an attempt to illustrate empathy which she did not convey properly. She also asked that her remarks about Breen be expunged from the record.

With reporters afterward, Breen said he accepted Kifowit’s apology but expressed concern for the political discourse overall, adding he received death threats and also was on the losing end of a multi-million-dollar campaign in which he was connected to rapists and child molesters.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]