Former Gov. Pat Quinn backs GOP-sponsored ethics amendment
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[March 06, 2024]
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – A Republican proposal that would give citizens the ability
to propose ethics-related constitutional amendments on the ballot
received a bipartisan boost Tuesday when former Democratic Gov. Pat
Quinn endorsed it.
“I think it's very, very important that this year, 2024, that the people
of Illinois have their General Assembly consider an ethics initiative,”
Quinn said at a Statehouse news conference. “We need this in our state.”
Under the state’s current constitution , citizen-initiated amendments
are limited to amending Article IV, which deals with the legislative
branch of government. Further, they are limited to offering “structural
and procedural subjects” contained in that article, meaning they can
only deal with basic aspects of the legislature such as its size,
organization, and procedures.
The proposed change – House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 19
, by Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria – would expand the scope of
citizen-initiated amendments to allow for changes to Section 2 of
Article XIII, which requires candidates for state offices to file
statements of economic interest. As of Tuesday, Spain’s measure had just
one Republican cosponsor.
Specifically, Spain’s proposal would authorize citizen-initiated
amendments calling for “stronger ethical standards” for candidates or
officeholders of state offices, offices of local units of government,
school districts, and positions on boards or commissions created by the
Illinois Constitution.
“At its core, it's a way to empower our citizens, our voters, to deliver
upon the ethical reforms and standards of conduct in office that we need
more of in the state of Illinois,” Spain said.
The concept of allowing voters to bypass their own elected legislative
bodies and force public votes on proposed laws or constitutional
amendments – known as “initiatives and referenda” – emerged during the
Populist era of the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, and they are
more widely used in some states than others.
Missouri, Ohio and Michigan, for example , all allow citizens to propose
and vote on constitutional amendments and state statutes as well as
vetoes of laws passed by their legislatures. Illinois, by contrast, has
only limited authority for citizen-initiated amendments.
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Former Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat from Chicago, is pictured at a
state Capitol news conference Tuesday to promote ethics reforms. He
and Republican Rep. Ryan Spain, of Peoria, spoke in favor of a
constitutional amendment that would allow citizens to propose
ethics-related constitutional amendments on the ballot through
petitions. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Peter Hancock)
Quinn recalled being part of an effort in 1976 to put a package of three
ethics-related constitutional amendments on the ballot, but the Illinois
Supreme Court rejected the attempt , saying the proposals went beyond
what was allowed by the Illinois Constitution.
So far, the only citizen-initiated amendment to succeed in Illinois
occurred in 1980 , with an amendment to reduce the size of the General
Assembly from 177 members to 118.
In recent years, Republicans have made ethics reform a central theme of
their strategies, both in the General Assembly and on the campaign
trail. Those efforts have intensified greatly in the last two years
following the federal corruption indictments of former Democratic House
Speaker Michael Madigan and former top executives of Commonwealth Edison
who were accused of bribing him.
But Quinn, who became governor following the impeachment and conviction
of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, said he pushed for ethics reform during
his time in the governor’s office, but his efforts were stymied by
Madigan.
“I was governor for six years,” he said. “And over and over again, I
asked the afore-mentioned Mike Madigan to consider an ethics initiative.
And he said no, he said he didn't believe in that. Well, he's not here
anymore. He's on trial.”
Madigan’s trial on corruption charges is scheduled to start Oct. 8.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is
distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide.
It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert
R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the
Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial
Association.
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