From the Edwardsville Intelligencer 

Kay, Haine applaud Senate action
State's "pay-to-play" political practice should end
By STEVE HORRELL
Published: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 10:30 AM CDT
Ignoring a veto by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois Senate voted 55-0 to ban “pay-to-play” political donations. The bill prohibits contractors that do more than $50,000 in state businesses from giving donations to officeholders who award their contracts.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich vetoed the bill in August. It will take effect Jan. 1.
Senate President Emil Jones had hinted that he might not call lawmakers back for a vote until November, and critics such as Glen Carbon businessman Dwight Kay expressed fears recently that the delay might kill the bill.
Asked on Tuesday whether he was surprised Jones had changed his mind, Kay answered: “Surprised? Not really. Because ethics has become a very serious issue for voters in Illinois. We have played around with ethics for so long that voters finally got around to telling their legislators, and legislators finally got the message.”
A Republican from Glen Carbon, Kay is hoping to unseat incumbent Democrat Jay Hoffman for a seat in the 112th District.
The new law also requires businesses with state contracts to report all political contributions, including to candidates and political committees.
“Limiting contributions, reporting more information, and increasing the penalties will deter individuals from attempting to use money to influence contracts,” said state Sen. Bill Haine. “It’s important that we continue to make progress towards promoting good, clean government policies.”