Daily Southtown
November 21, 2003
By Kristen McQueary

Ethics bill heads to governor

SPRINGFIELD — With a federal corruption investigation nipping at the heels of several Illinois officeholders, lawmakers in Springfield late Thursday approved an ethics bill that polices everything from gifts to advice.
The bill won unanimous support in the House and passed the Senate on a 56-to-1 vote after months of negotiations between legislative leaders, all of whom have been touched by Operation Safe Road, which helped guide many of the reforms. None of the legislative leaders has been accused of wrongdoing, but prosecutors inspected records from some of their offices.

The bill outlines specific activities prohibited by state workers on state time, including political research and polling, attending campaign events and soliciting contributions. It also requires greater accountability over how certain state employees spend their time.

The legislation creates seven inspectors general with subpoena powers to oversee the constitutional officers and the General Assembly. Two ethics commissions — one for the constitutional officers and one for the General Assembly — will work with the inspectors to hear complaints of wrongdoing.

Lawmakers still will be allowed to dine with lobbyists and accept certain gifts, but meals are restricted to $75 per day per lawmaker. And no more free golf and tennis.

"We wanted an ethics bill that had teeth," House Speaker Michael Madigan said.

A new form of regulation falls to those who advise constitutional officers or state agencies and boards. The measure arose from Senate Republicans who questioned the motives of unpaid advisers to Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The advisers occasionally negotiate on Blagojevich's behalf. Under the new rules, they'll be required to report their financial interests.

The bill bans politicians from using public money to buy bumper stickers and buttons bearing their names. It also bans public service announcements that promote certain elected officials.

And state workers who quit their jobs are prohibited for one year from working with private vendors whom they regulated.

"We knew if we were going to put any trust into the system, we needed to do something meaningful and real," said House Republican leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego).

Complaints about possible corruption will go before the appropriate ethics commission for a private hearing. Only if discipline is needed would the findings become public. Discipline could be a fine of up to $5,000 or a Class A misdemeanor charge, should a state's attorney decide to file it.

Lobbyists and their spouses would be prohibited from serving on most state boards and commissions.

Until federal investigators exposed the practice of overlap in government and campaigning through Operation Safe Road indictments, state workers in Illinois often were relied on to engineer political campaigns, raise money and work with candidates. While some administrators were conscientious about yanking them from the public payroll during these activities, others were not.

Workers in former Secretary of State George Ryan's office used campaign work as a measurement for promotion, according to testimony in the trial of Ryan aide Scott Fawell. Staff even scratched off serial numbers from state fax machines to disguise their use in campaign offices.

Though Cross said Operation Safe Road increased pressure for ethics reform, most lawmakers follow the rules and will not be greatly affected by the bill. Cross and Madigan said they built safeguards into the language to protect the ethics commissions from becoming a tool for political payback. The ethics boards will not accept anonymous complaints.

The bill now moves to the governor's desk for signature.

Kristen McQueary may be reached at kmcqueary@dailysouthtown.com or (708) 633-5972.