Media Briefing: An Overview of the New Campaign Finance Law
In 1974 the Illinois General Assembly begrudgingly gave into the reform
movement of the post-Watergate era and passed a law to require the reporting of
campaign receipts and expenditures (10 ILCS 5/9-1). While many other states and the
federal government were placing limits on contributions and expenditures, prohibiting
corporate entities from contributing or spending on politics, and adopting public
financing systems, Illinois chose a different course. Illinois adopted a law which relied
exclusively on two interrelated mechanisms to accomplish its purpose: disclosure and
reporting.
