SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich should resign or face quick legislative action to remove him from office, area lawmakers and top state officials said Tuesday.

Reacting to the arrest of Blagojevich early Tuesday on federal corruption charges, members of the General Assembly urged the 51-year-old governor to step down immediately.

''Whether or not the governor is innocent or guilty, I think the governor needs to do the right thing and resign,'' state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, a possible contender for governor in 2010.

Democratic state Rep. Bob Flider of Mount Zion agreed.

''The governor could do the entire state a favor by stepping aside,'' Flider said.

Comptroller Dan Hynes said said he was saddened by the developments and said the governor should step down.

"This is perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of Illinois government and a stain that will not be easily removed," Hynes said.

With the governor holding the power to appoint a replacement for President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said the legislature should act quickly to oust the governor from office.

The House could use the 70-plus page federal indictment as a road map to hold impeachment hearings immediately. If the House votes to impeach, the Illinois Senate would then decide whether the governor should be removed from office.

''The federal government has done the work for us,'' Mitchell said. ''We need to do that sooner rather than later.''

Added Flider, ''The sooner we can move forward with a new governor, the better off for our state.''

Impeachement hearings would begin in the House. A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan deferred comment on the issue Tuesday morning.

State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said his office has been flooded with calls and e-mails Tuesday morning from constituents asking for the House to start impeachment hearings if Blagojevich doesn't step down.

Dan Brady said House Republicans have sent a letter to Blagojevich asking for him to resign. And they also plan to ask House Speaker Michael Madigan to begin impeachment proceedings.

''This is something that needs to be done carefully,'' Dan Brady said.

If Blagojevich resigns or is removed from office, he would be replaced by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. Quinn is scheduled to make remarks about the situation Tuesday afternoon in Chicago.

Along with getting Obama's Senate seat filled, the state faces economic problems that could result in more layoffs and cuts in state services.

''We need to sort out the difficulties that the governor has put our state in,'' Flider said. ''We've been stuck in neutral or going backward for too long.''