Ethics Reform
Government reform comes in fits and starts. Public officials are
loathe to admit that corruption affects more than "a few bad
apples;" legislators are reluctant to change the way they conduct
their work; and voters and the media are often focused on issues
that more directly affect daily life. Government reform is not a
sexy issue. But after years of federal investigations, mounting
convictions, editorials from every leading newspaper in the state,
and voter outrage at the boiling point, the General Assembly began
to reconsider how government works. In 1998, with guidance from
former U.S. Senator Paul Simon, Illinois took its first steps forward,
considering a range of issues and adopting a new Gift Ban Act. In
2002, the Inspector Misconduct Act was the next incremental step
forward. And in 2003, all six statewide elected officers and the
General Assembly worked together to produce the comprehensive State
Employees and Officials Ethics Act.
These Acts bring major changes to how both government and political
campaigns are conducted. Illinois has a long and tragic history
of blurring the lines between the two. Government officials wear
many hats, including candidate and public servant. Some also forced
their staffs to wear the same hats, confusing job duties and creating
conflicts of interest. The reforms adopted in the last five years
offer a way to disentangle these roles, assuring the public of honest
service from their officials, safeguarding democracy, and leveling
the playing field between incumbents and challengers.
These Acts make the following changes to Illinois law:
- Restricting gifts from lobbyists, state contractors, and others
with a special interest in the outcome of government decisions to
public officials.
- Barring inspectors from soliciting campaign contributions from
the businesses or individuals they regulate.
- Creating ethics commissions for the executive and legislative
branches of government to adjudicate complaints about unethical
behavior.
- Designating inspectors general to investigate ethics complaints
about public employees and officials.
- Mandating ethics training for all state employees and officials.
Click here for a summary of the
2003 State Employees and Officers Ethics Act
Click here for the names of people
serving on the executive and legislative ethics commissions, and
as inspectors general.
Click here for ICPR's
statement upon the passage of the 2003 State Employees and Officers
Ethics Act.
For more information, visit The
Illinois Ethics Reform Project.
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