From the SJ-R:

Senate approves Blagojevich's ethics package
By RYAN KEITH
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Sep 23, 2008 @ 12:45 PM
Last update Sep 23, 2008 @ 02:50 PM
Siding again with Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois Senate has approved his ethics reform package despite criticism from reform advocates who predicted its quick demise.
The Senate voted 50-1 today for Senate Bill 780, which expands on House Bill 824 that lawmakers approved yesterday to limit political donations by some government contractors.
The new proposal includes the broader ethics reforms Blagojevich put into HB824 that lawmakers then voted to reject. The reforms would swap how legislators vote on pay raises, bar lawmakers from working in most other government jobs and require more disclosure of lobbying by lawmakers and their spouses.
Blagojevich praised the Senate after the vote.
“For the first time in Illinois’ modern history, a legislative body joined a governor to impose real and meaningful ethics reform on ourselves and lead by example,” Blagojevich said.
He said the House should take this “historic opportunity and pass this legislation now before the election,” but did not say if he would call more special sessions if that didn’t happen.
Senators who pushed the idea said lawmakers need to capitalize on the momentum of yesterday’s ethics vote and go further to clean up Illinois government’s ugly reputation.
“Why not go the next step? Don’t vote this down just because Blagojevich thought of it,” said Sen. Rickey Hendon, D-Chicago.
But critics – including lawmakers who had played a big role in developing HB824 – said this measure wasn’t ready to be voted on.
Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, predicted the measure would go nowhere in the House in its current form, and lawmakers would be wiser to negotiate an agreement instead of sending different bills between the two chambers.
“We should be rational about this. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past,” Harmon said.