From the Decatur Herald & Review (

Editorial):
Here's hoping ethics talk isn't a fad
By the H&R editorial staff 
 
 
Suddenly, ethics is all the rage in the Illinois capital.
 
After years of looking the other way at the state's ethically challenged ways, it seems everyone is talking about reform.
 
A day after overriding the veto of Gov. Rod Blagojevich and making an ethics reform bill into law, the Senate passed a reform bill Tuesday proposed by Blagojevich.
 
The governor's bill contains three major provisions:
 
Legislators and political parties would be included in the ban on campaign contributions by state contractors. The reform bill the Senate and House passed earlier prohibits campaign contributions by state contractors to the officeholders who control those contracts. Blagojevich's proposal would extend that to all of the legislators.
 
The governor's bill would end what is known as double-dipping. This is the practice in which a legislator also works for another governmental body. Several Chicago-area legislators also have jobs with city or county government. There are other legislators who work for universities, community colleges or school districts. The governor's legislation would ban this practice, with some exceptions.
 
The bill also would require the General Assembly to be straightforward about the way it approves pay raises for legislators. It would end the practice of pay raises going into effect without a direct up or down vote.
 
Legislators and their spouses would have to reveal any lobbying done to local governments.
 
Without a doubt, there are some politics being played here. Blagojevich's legislation appears to take aim at the Illinois House and Speaker Michael Madigan. Many of Madigan's Chicago-area legislators, for example, have "second jobs" at other governmental units.
 
But that doesn't mean the governor's legislation should be thrown out, although the bill is seriously flawed and needs some major work. The bill is full of contradictions. For example, university professors are exempt from the "double-dipping" provisions, but community college teachers are not. One legislator has stated that if the bill passed as is, he would not be able to continue coaching in high school.
 
There's also doubt that the governor's bill will get any action after the Senate passage. The House isn't scheduled back into session until after the November elections. The bill may have been a move for senators to use on the campaign trail and then be forgotten.
 
The ideas behind the bill are worthy. The General Assembly should be more straightforward about the way it approves pay raises. Legislators should have to reveal if they are lobbying local governments. There is no harm in having state contractors banned from contributing to legislative candidates and political parties. The idea behind "double-dipping" is worthy of consideration, although the specifics need to be better spelled out.
 
Illinois citizens should be glad to see this sudden interest in ethical reform. The hope is that it's not just an election season fad, but a realization by our political leaders that the state needs a good cleaning.