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ILLINOIS
STATE LAWMAKERS GET A LITTLE MORE ETHICAL, BUT A LOT MORE IS NEEDED
Illinois Policy Institute/
Dylan Sharkey
The new Illinois ethics law brings a little
change to the nation’s second-most corrupt state, but what is needed are
the stronger reforms lawmakers promised after ousting scandal-plagued
former House Speaker Mike Madigan.
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 Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a legislative ethics reform package
Oct. 8 after an amendatory veto spurred minor changes in the language. While the
omnibus ethics package is an overdue first step, Illinois’ political corruption
remains rampant and in need of greater curbs.
Starting Jan. 1, state lawmakers are banned from registering as lobbyists within
six months of leaving office and from political fundraising while the Illinois
General Assembly is in session. The six-month ban only applies when lawmakers
attempt to lobby the General Assembly they served in. A lawmaker leaving office
the day before a new General Assembly could forego the “cooling off” period.
Senate Bill 539 also amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Acts by expanding
financial disclosure requirements for lawmakers and certain public officials.
However, close family members are only required to disclose jointly held assets
and liabilities.
Under the new law, the Legislative Inspector General has power to investigate
complaints against lawmakers related to their government service without
approval from the Legislative Ethics Commission – a group of lawmakers’ peers.
Yet current Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope announced she’s resigning
before the law takes effect because it simply doesn’t go far enough. She said
the inspector general should be allowed to issue subpoenaes without asking
lawmakers for permission, as other state inspectors general may do. She also
wants to investigate lawmaker conduct unrelated to their government service.
 “That’s why I said I am a paper tiger,” Pope said. “There are no real teeth to
this legislation the way it is now.”
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State Rep. Mike Murphy, R-Springfield, echoed
Pope’s concerns, saying, “We moved an inch when we need to move a
mile.”
In the wake of the former House Speaker Mike
Madigan bribery scandal, lawmakers promised major ethics reform. SB
539 is a step in changing Illinois’s systemic corruption, ranked
second-worst in the nation. Illinois Policy Institute experts have
formulated further steps to bring permanent change, including:
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At least a one-year buffer between the time a
lawmaker leaves office and becomes a lobbyist. This would create
a longer “cooling-off” period and bring the lobbying
restrictions of Illinois more in line with other states.
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Empower the legislative inspector general to
issue subpoenas for documents and witnesses and to publish their
findings of wrongdoing without first seeking permission from the
Legislative Ethics Commission. Lawmakers should also consider
Pope’s recommendations, including to add a ninth member – a
non-lawmaker – to the Legislative Ethics Commission.
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Include the financial interests of filers’
immediate family members on statements of economic interest.
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Eliminate loopholes that would allow lawmakers
to lobby other units of government. One such loophole is the
bill language only restricts lawmakers from being employed as
lobbyists for a firm registered to lobby the unit of government
they serve. This bars lawmakers from working as lobbyists for
big firms, but allows them to open their own shops and get
around that restriction.
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